Contending Against Apostasy

-Scripture has quite a bit of sport allusion to it

-The next two Sunday nights we will be taking a look at the book of Jude

-It is one of the shortest books of the Bible (only 1 chapter)

-But it packs a great deal of truth in a limited number of verses

-It is in our passage tonight that we see a reference to sports, or at least a mental picture of it

-Jude 1:1-20

-Verse 3 tells us that we are to “contend for the faith”

-This gives me the menhtal picture of boxing

-We are not only to contend for it, but to do so “earnestly”

-With ever ounce of being that we possess

-There is a reason Jude (a brother of James and half-brother of Jesus) is telling us this

-Apostasy had crept into the ranks of the church

-Total denunciation of what they claimed to have previously believed

-These apostates were therefore attacking the true doctrines of the faith and the church

-Note: They were still within the church

-Attempting to execute a type of military coup against the true leaders of the church

I. They Turn Grace Into Lewdness (vs. 4)

-They take Christian liberty and make it a license to sin

-I’ve known many who have done this

-Danger Of The Eternal Security Doctrine

-While we are saved by faith, we are called to holiness

-Not lewdness

A. They say sin is only natural

B. They say sin is already forgiven

C. They say sin is not that dangerous

II. They Deny Christ As The Only Lord (vs. 4)

-These are the type that like to make Christ out to be less than He really is

A. In being deity

B. In having right to rule

C. In having been crucified and resurrected

III. They Defile The Flesh (vs. 8)

A. They begin with evil dreams

-Remember, we talked a couple of weeks ago about how sin usually starts in the mind

1. Sexual

2. Material

3. Relational

4. Whatever

B. They act on their dreams

-The fleshly defilement is premeditated

IV. They Reject Authority (vs. 8)

-If there is one thing that capsulizes many teens of the last few decades, it is a lack of respect for any kind of authority

A. Parental

1. Talking back

2. Disobeying

3. Calling them by their first names

B. Civil

1. School teachers and administrators

2. Ball coaches

3. Scout leaders

4. Employers

C. Governmental

1. Political

2. Law enforcement

D. Religious

-Why do you think so many drop out of church between the ages of 16 and 35

-They don’t want anyone, not even the institution that is ordained by God, to tell them how best to live their lives

V. They Speak Evil Of Dignitaries (vs. 8)

-They not only reject authority, but once to whom special authority is given, the speak evil of

A. They try to persuade others not to listen to them

B. They make them out to be evil themselves

-An attempt to turn the tables

VI. They Are Selfish (vs. 12)

-Love feasts here would be in reference to fellowship meals or perhaps even times of communion

-Here, they could care less whether others get to partake, as long as they do

-They fight to be first in line

-And heaven forbid if they do not get a “Wanda Roll”

-It is easy to sometimes be selfish when it comes to the things of God even

-Look at many of our hymns and gospel songs

-Ever notice how many times the word “I” appears

-While this is not bad in itself, it can lead to a sense of spiritual selfishness

-“I don’t care what God does for anybody else, as long as He does something for mean”

-“I don’t care what God means to anybody else, only what He means to me”

-The true mark of the Spirit-Filled life is total selflessness

-Surrendered to God, for His purposes

-Directed by Him to service and purity

VII. They Are Capricious (vs. 12)

-They have no substance of their own

-No true leg to stand on concerning their beliefs

-So, they change with popular opinion

-Like A Helium Balloon

-President Bush’s Refusal To Budge

-Polls do not sway him

-He rules by his convictions

VIII. They Are Worthless (vs. 12-13)

A. They are good for nothing to anybody

-As a matter of fact, it would be better if they would leave the church

B. They are already dead in their trespasses

-Having given themselves over to a lie after knowing full well the truth

IX. They Are Grumblers And Complainers (vs. 16)

-You cannot please such people

-Because of their selfishness, they will never be fully satisfied, unless you totally cave in to their way of thinking

A. They grumble about the methods of worship