Contend For The Faith - Part 1: Know Your Enemy Series

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Part 1: Know Your Enemy

Text: Jude 1 – 16

Introduction:

· vv. 1, 2

· Jude servant of Christ, brother of James (half brother of Jesus – Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3)

· Does not identify himself as an apostle (v. 17)

· Did not believe in Jesus until the resurrection (John 7:1 – 5; Acts 1:12 – 14)

· Probably written between 67 and 80 AD.

· Recipients not known, but probably Jewish converts in or around Jerusalem (references to OT characters and familiarity with James)

· vv. 3, 4

· Jude’s purpose in writing was a concern over false teachers that had crept into the church and were leading believers astray

· Men described as ungodly

· Guilty of two things: teaching that it was ok to live a sinful lifestyle and still be a Christian, and teaching that Jesus was only a man

· Told the church that they needed to contend for the faith (Greek = to struggle for)

· In any struggle, you need to know two things: your enemy, and your strategy

A. What will happen to them? (vv. 5 – 7)

God will judge them for their sin.

Three examples:

1. Spies who brought back a bad report and caused the Israelites to rebel against God and Moses; all died in the wilderness (v. 5)

2. Satan caused 1/3 of the angels to rebel against God, and they were all cast out of Heaven (v. 6)

3. People of Sodom and Gomorrah caused the people in the cities around them to live sinful lifestyles and they were all destroyed by fire (v. 7)

B. What are they doing? (vv. 8 – 11)

1. They are lying about God’s truth (filthy dreamers) just like the spies (v. 8)

2. They are committing adultery, fornication, and maybe even homosexuality and other sexual sins (defile the flesh) just like Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 8)

3. They speak evil things about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and angels (despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities) just like Satan (v. 8)

· Even Michael would not accuse Satan, who outranked him (v. 9)

· These men slander the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the angels, but do not know them personally (v. 10)

· What they do know are the things of the flesh, and they act like animals in fulfilling their desires (v. 10)

4. They worship God in their own way, not the way that God commands, just like Cain (v. 11)

5. They oppose the truths of God for their own profit, just like Balaam (v. 11)

6. They rebel against the authority of the apostles just like Korah rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron (v. 11)

C. What are they like? (vv. 12, 13)

1. They are like dangerous rocks hidden under the water, causing shipwreck (v. 12)

2. They are like shepherds that feed themselves, but starve the flock (v. 12)

3. They are like clouds that have the promise of rain, but contain no water (v. 12)

4. They are like dead trees that promise food, but bear no fruit (v. 12)

5. They are like the waves of the sea, washing trash up on to the shore (v. 13)

6. They are like shooting stars that command our attention for a moment, but then vanish into obscurity (v. 13)

D. What is their destiny? (vv. 14 – 16)

Jude quotes from the book of Enoch

1. God will judge them for their wicked deeds (vv. 14, 15)

2. They will lead unhappy, unfulfilled lives (v. 16)

· Murmurers = grumblers

· Complainers = fault-finders

· Walking after their own lusts = not led by the spirit

· Speaking great swelling words = boasting

· Having persons in admiration = flattery, deceit

Conclusion:

· Today, we still have a danger of false teachers

· Cults, other religions, people who call themselves preachers of the Gospel

· You can test them by what Jude reveals here:

o They deny that Christ is who He said He was

o They excuse sinful lifestyles

· Examples:

o Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus was actually Michael the archangel

o Mormons believe Jesus is a separate God from the Father, and that He was married

o Unification Church teaches that Jesus was a perfect man, but not God

o Christian Science, scientology, new age, Islam, Judaism, Hare Krishna, and Buddists all teach that Jesus was just a man

o Scientology teaches that there is no such thing as sin or a need to repent

o Christian science teaches that sin, evil, sickness, and death are not real

o I heard a man preach that it was ok to live together before marriage

o Preachers who say that it is ok to be a Christian and a homosexual

· The first step is to identify these people and know that what they teach is unscriptural so that we won’t fall prey to their lies

· Read your Bible!