Jude Part 4 - Danger Danger Series

Jude 1:12-16 (Part 4)

Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

3-10-2024

Danger

I was playing basketball at the rec center in Pontiac on Friday afternoon back when I was a youth pastor.

As we were playing, students would walk around the court to go to another class and several would say hi to me.

In between a game, one of the guys asked me how I knew all these students. I said, “I’m their student pastor.”

Two girls, sophomores barely 15 years old, walked past us and he said, “Whoa! They are fine! Do you think you could introduce me to them?” By the way, he was 28!

I told him, “Absolutely not! One of my jobs as their youth pastor was to protect them from danger, like him!

Danger, Danger! Will Robinson.

When we were in the Dominican Republic, there were flags at the beach to warn us of dangers such as jellyfish and rip tides.

We teach our children “stranger danger” and to avoid the highway to the danger zone.

There are signs to tell us not to touch the wire, that the floor is slippery, and not to put our hands in the tiger cage. (Really?)

At CBC, we have background checks for anyone working with children. For one, it’s required by our insurance company. But more importantly, we know that there are dangerous people, called pedophiles, who want to have access to kids and we can’t let that happen.

Wouldn’t it be helpful if there were signs or flags outside of churches that warned us of dangerous false teachers and apostate leaders? That’s what Jude will try to do in the verses we will study this morning.

Review

In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams, these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and heap abuse on celestial beings. 

Last week, Jude tells us that these false teachers have taken the

way of Cain - they were self-righteous and arrogant

rushed for profit into Balaam’s error - they were characterized by greed

destroyed in Korah’s rebellion - they rebelled against God’s rule and God’s ways and led others to do so as well

Notice that they walked in the way of Cain, rushed into Balaam’s error, and were destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.

Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life.

They traded the way of Jesus for the way of Cain. They traded the truth of Jesus for the error of Balaam. They traded life in Jesus for destruction like Korah.

Peter and Paul shout, “The false teachers are coming!”

"Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28b-31)

Jude’s message is, “The false teachers are here!”

If you weren’t here last week, you can always watch the sermon on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and on our website. All the sermon manuscripts can be found on SermonCentral.com.

Please turn with me to Jude, starting in verse 12.

Prayer

Snapshots of an Apostate

Jude usually uses triplets but today he’s going to give us two sets of five, short snapshots of an apostate.

These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves.

Blemishes or Reefs

There is a difference of opinion about the translation of this Greek word. Your translation, like the NIV, that we use, translates this word as “blemishes or spots.”

If you get a stain on a shirt, you don’t want to wear it because it’s embarrassing. If you are a teenager and get a pimple right before the big dance, you may want to lock yourself in your room until you are twenty-one.

These teachers are blemishes or spots that stain the purity of the church’s fellowship.

But, this word literally means “hidden reefs or rocks.” Near the shore, the water may look calm but there are dangerous rocks that can tear the hull right off a ship.

On January 13, 2012, the cruise ship Costa Concordia deviated from its planned route and struck a reef off the shore of Tuscany. Thirty-three people died in the wreck. Eventually, five crew members went on trial for manslaughter.

These false teachers were present at the love feasts. On the Lord’s Day, the believers would gather together in someone’s house. They would sing a song, listen to the Word, sing another song, have a potluck, and then take communion together.

This potluck was a chance for poorer people and slaves to have at least one good meal a week. It was an opportunity for more well-off believers to share with those less fortunate.