Don't Mention Me In The Same Breath

Islington Baptist Church November 19, 2000

Jude 5-16 Scriptures: Gal. 1:1-9; 5:1-12; II Pe. 2-3; II Cor. 11:1-15, etc

Last week I proposed to you that the church is susceptible to being infiltrated by people who have another “Gospel” to preach. I proposed to you that the church is susceptible to being infiltrated by people who water down the Gospel and the teachings of the Scriptures.

Sadly, throughout the whole history of the church there have been ones, inside the walls of the church, who have subjected Jesus to ridicule, attack, and revision. Jesus’ teachings and claims have been subject to criticism i.e regarding our sinfulness and the urgent need to repent of our sins, some explain away his miracles, his claim to being God in the flesh has often been attacked as has his resurrection. The exclusive way of salvation and peace with God which he proclaimed and died for has also come under heavy attack and revision., etc, etc

The key call of the book of Jude is found in v.3 “Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints”

With all of our might we are to fight/ defend/ stand up for the Jesus who has been revealed to us in the Scriptures. His person and deity, his claims, his resurrection, his miracles, his teachings, the exclusive way of salvation he has revealed to us.

Jude’s call to contend for the faith is directly linked with this problem: the church had been infiltrated by those who were denying Christ and teaching that because of God’s grace one could sin as they pleased.

It appears from this text that these ones were denying that you even needed Jesus. Who knows how they taught that you came to be under God’s grace—perhaps they were teaching a kind of universalism (all under grace and saved)?

The Bible teaches us that our salvation is by grace (free gift of God—not obligated or earned). Our forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is totally by the grace of God.

Just because we are under grace, and have had all our sins forgiven, and not under the law does not give us a license to sin.

As I mentioned last week, we at times abuse the grace of God and in effect treat it as a license to sin. When we determine to sin, counting on the fact that in Christ we have the forgiveness of all our sins, then we are in effect abusing God’s grace. When in our minds we say to ourselves “I’m going to sin and have no fear because I’m no longer under the law, I’m forgiven of all my sins” we are treating grace as a license to sin.

Such an attitude indicates we have lost our fear of God. A persistent attitude like this is cause to ask the question: are you really saved, are you really a child of God.

As beneficiaries of God’s grace we need to pay close attention to Romans 6:15-16 where it says “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey –whether slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness”

Today we are going to consider v.5-16. In Jude 5-16 the godless men of v.4 who have denied Christ and changed the grace of God into a license for immorality are described. I think you will find Jude’s description of them searing in its intensity. READ TEXT

Q HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS PHRASE “WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THE PAST”?

Of course you have, and the truth of this saying is more than obvious. The past is a great teacher and the one who doesn’t learn from the past is a fool.

For example: past experience has taught men everywhere to be enthusiastic in respect to the women in their lives new hairstyles. The man who does not learn this will face judgment, not from God, but from the lady in question.

The past is a great teacher and if we don’t learn from the past we are in trouble

In v.5-16 Jude references us to a number of past events. His goal is that we learn from the past.

Note how Jude begins his history lesson “I want to remind you, though you once knew this…” v.5

Between v.5-16 Jude refers to 8 historical events

1. The destruction of the Israelites in the wilderness who had been rescued from the land of Egypt

2. The rebellion of angels of Heaven

3. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

4. The dispute between Michael the archangel and the Devil regarding Moses body