Preaching Against Dirty Christianity Series

Jude- 2 Peter

2.

The Preaching Against Dirty Christianity

Jude 1-4

“My dear friends I was very eager to write you about the salvation we have in common. But I was strongly impressed to write and urge you to fight hard for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (people of God).”

“The reason is that godless people, whose condemnation was written about years ago, have slipped in unnoticed among us (by the side door).They are people who distort the grace of God to use it as an excuse to practice their immoral ways.” (Jude 4)

A. Christianity Distorted

When Jude says people slipped into the churches changing the grace of God into and excuse of license to do wrong, he was talking about a world view known as gnosticism. It was confined to any one group, but, like “New Age” thinking today; it colored how people looked at life and ultimately, how they interpreted the Bible. Simply put, they believed God, who was good; had absolutely no contact with anything physical, which was evil. That is why the philosophers in Athens laughed at Paul when he preached the “resurrection of the body” (Acts 18)

Changing the Scriptures they had to fit this belief they had false beliefs about Christ. Some said Jesus was God (spirit) and only appeared to be a man (flesh and blood). Others said He was only a man, and was not God. That is why John talks of hearing and touching Jesus (1 Jn. 1:1-4) and says Jesus “was God / and was made flesh” (Jn. 1:1/14)

But Peter, Jude and John deal most with their false beliefs about Christian behavior. In a heresy (false teaching) called perfectionism, a few said our souls (spirit) could overcome the flesh, and we could and should get to the place where we never sin. That is why First John says anyone who claims he does not have a sin nature (1:8); or claims he does not sin, does not know the truth (); and is lying ().

But most Gnostics in the church jumped on the other bandwagon and produced the defiled Christianity Jude, Peter, and John attack. In a heresy knows as antinomianism (no laws or rules), they said the physical body was the work of Satan and would not survive death. Therefore they concluded it was alright to give our physical bodies and appetites over to any sin we desire. They claimed salvation while living in sin

People may claim they are Christians while living in willful sin, but in their heart of hearts, they know they are living a lie. Before I became a Christian and knew more than five Bible verses, I knew Jesus wanted not only to forgive me, but to change me into a person who lived a life of love and purity. I didn’t know James 1:27, but the Holy Spirit had written it into my heart (Rom. 2:12-12-16),

“What God considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: taking care of orphans and widows in their suffering and keeping oneself unspotted by the world.” (James 1:27)

Jude’s first answer is:

B. Christianity Demonstrated (1-2)

“This is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother to James. It is for those who have been called, who are the beloved of God the father, and who are kept by Jesus Christ.”

“May mercy, peace and love overflow for you.”

The best argument for Christianity is a Christian and the brother of Jesus was a good one. He shows us Christianity is a personal choice. Brought up in the home of Joseph and Mary, he could have told us that, but he simply calls himself the slave of Jesus. God has no grandchildren. Just because we are part of godly family, does not mean we are right with God. Mary and her family, saw Jesus risen from the dead, and took their place in the upper room, waiting for the Holy Spirit to come down (Acts 2:14)

He shows us Christianity is a response to God’s love and invitation. We do not come banging on God’s door until he knocks on our door (Rev. 3:20). The NT writers did not see themselves as those who searched for and found God; but as people “called” by the Holy Spirit. I love the church sign that says, “Evangelism- we catch them; salvation- God cleans them.”

He shows us Christianity is accepting God’s love. God loves all men (Jn. 3:16). This does not stop at death, so God loves people in hell. The difference between people in heaven and people in hell is that people in heaven have accepted the love of God, and the “mercy” of forgiveness that comes with it. That is why Jude calls them God’s “beloved”. As your Pastor, I love you, but only the close members of my family are my “beloved” ones.