Text: Jude 5-11, Title: Identifying the Apostates, Date/Place: LSCC, 9/10/06, AM
A. Opening illustration: The First Battle of Bull Run might not have been a smashing Confederate victory without the flowing curls of Rose Greenhow. On July 9, 1861 she hid a message in her lovely tresses; when she combed out her hair for Rebel officers, they learned that Union troops were about to march on Richmond. A second message contained the invaders’ strength and marching orders. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard later said that Greenhow “lived in a house within rifle range of the White House.” Her house became the heart of a Southern spy network, and at the height of her activities Greenhow directed more than 50 agents.
B. Background to passage: Jude writing to a congregation in about 68 AD that had been infiltrated by false brethren who had assumed teaching roles. These men were servants of Satan, knowingly and ignorantly, participating in a plan to destroy the church from the inside out. Jude gets right to the point regarding his intention to stir up the congregation to contend for the faith against these men. Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church as a whole, therefore we are assured victory, and the false teachers are assured condemnation. In verse four, we skipped the phrase “long ago marked out for this condemnation.” It means that God has always made it clear that all those that pervert his word and defame His name will be condemned and punished. Don’t have the time to deal with verses about the wicked being designed for the Day of Judgment. (See Ex 9:16, Pro 16:4, Rom 9:22, 1 Pet 2:8) Jude promises and warns the church that God will judge those who practice lawlessness inside the church. Must move quickly.
C. Main thought: In this warning we see several indicative factors for these false teachers.
A. OT examples of destruction (v. 5-7)
1. 1) Recount the story of Num 13. Jude indicates that these false teachers are actually examples of unbelief in the face of clear revelation. They had seen the miracles, heard the promises, yet willfully rejected God’s plan for their life. Even threatened to stone those who were trusting in God. And God saw to it that they all fulfilled their own grumblings of dying in the wilderness, never seeing the Promised Land. 2) Give the explanation for Gen 6:1-4. These angels rebelled against their created order, throwing off their God-given roles, and doing what was forbidden. So heinous, vile, and destructive was their offense that God immediately put them in bonds reserved for judgment. The false teachers were experts in justifying why all these traditional roles can be discarded. 3) Just as the angels crossed boundaries, the Sodomites did the same by wanting sexual relations with the angels that came to visit lot. God highlights sexual immorality with this reference and couples that with the destruction that befell S & G. These false teachers were involved in gross sexual perversions.
2. Num 14:28-35, Rev 21:8, 1 Cor 6:18, Pro 6:32,
3. Illustration: Liz asking about head coverings, the church that was made fun of because of its return to biblical standards asking a female Adult SS teacher to step down, In the 1930s, British anthropologist J.D. Unwin studied 86 cultures that stretched across 5,000 years. He found, without exception, when they restricted sex to marriage, they thrived. Strong families headed by faithful spouses made for bold, prosperous societies. But not one culture survived more than three generations after turning completely sexually permissive.
4. 1) Judgment is always much harsher upon those of us who have great access to the truth of Scripture. And those of you who are in churches week after week without genuine life-transforming faith will be under much greater condemnation than the wicked that haven’t been given the opportunity to repent. Those with hearts of unbelief will never see the glories of heaven, nor the mighty hand of God in their lives here. 2) Our society is all about throwing off the God-given roles in creation. Feminist movement, homosexual movement, environmentalist movement, evolutionist movement. You will meet a fiery end if you participate in these things. We cannot discount the teaching of the bible regarding these things because it is not culturally relevant and politically correct. 3) You don’t have to be told that we live in a culture that it not in line with biblical sexual morals. But you should be warned that it can get you. Porn, adultery, fornication (any sexual contact outside of marriage), homosexuality, will destroy your life, your marriage, and your soul. It is surprisingly common in the church of Jesus Christ. It is a good indicator of these false teachers. Sexual sin is more destructive than other moral failures. It scars your soul permanently. And if you are involved in it, you can expect the judgment, or at least the discipline, of God on your life.
B. Current practice (v. 8-10)
1. Jude calls these men dreamers. The word used here is a word that is only used one other time in the NT. It describes visionary dreams. Probably what was going on was these men were using these “supposed visions” to indicate that God had given them permission to do these three things. 1) They defile the flesh. He is probably speaking of sexual misconduct, but text speaks of a stain upon a garment. But there are many ways that we can defile the flesh. 2) Jude also says that the reject authority. The word means to tear down things that are in place. Authority is a derivative of the word for Lord. Jude is again indicating that these false teachers are in word and/or deed throwing off the Lordship of Christ. 3) These false teachers revile heavenly hosts. And we are given an example of Michael not assuming authority to rebuke Satan. This again shows no real fear of heavenly realities.
2. 1 Cor 3:16, 6:15, 20, Luke 6:46, Mal 1:6, 1 John 2:3-4, 1 Pet 5:8,
3. Illustration: “The extent of redemption reaches to my body. The result of redemption: my body should be a temple, not a garage. The purpose of redemption: glorify God in my body.” When Robert Murray McCheyne, only thirty years old, lay dying, he said to a friend at his bedside, "God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I killed the horse, and now I cannot deliver the message." I doubt, indeed, whether we have any warrant for saying that a man can possibly be converted without being consecrated to God… if he was not consecrated to God in the very day that he was converted and born again, I do not know what conversion means.
4. Always make sure that your dream or experience lines up with Scripture. If it doesn’t identify it as originating from the evil one. 1) We can defile the body by doing things that are harmful to our health (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, overeating, under eating, no exercise, not enough sleep), disfiguring the body (surgery, tattoos, piercings), or abusing our bodies (overwork, cutting). 2) We spoke about this last week, so I won’t go on about it too much, but if you are Christ’s, He is your Lord. If He is not your Lord, then you are not Christ’s. Faith without works to follow is dead faith and cannot save a man. 3) We cannot assume more authority over spiritual realities than permitted. Be respectful and serious about the spiritual battle that is going on around you.
C. Uncovering their motivation (v. 11)
1. Finally Jude pronounces a woe upon them and sheds some light on some of their motivating factors. 1) Recall the story of Cain. He saw fit to design his own sacrifice. He had it his way. And when He didn’t get favor from God, he became jealous with rage and committed murder. Their first motivation is self-centered autonomy coupled with jealousy and anger. 2) The second motivation that Jude points out is greed. These false teachers are in the church for money. They could be sexually immoral anywhere, powerful anywhere, but they are in the church for an easy living. 3) Recount Korah’s rebellion (Num 16). It cost Korah and 250 their lives, later about 17K their lives. It was all about power. Not being chosen as a priest, not getting the benefits, respect, and authority.
2. Matt 23:15, 25, 1 Sam 15:23,
3. Illustration: “Didn’t you know about the Better Business Bureau?” “Oh, yes,” said the lady sadly. “I’ve always known about you. But I didn’t come because I was afraid you’d tell me not to do it.” I was told of a minister one time who keeps office hours that would make most retirees jealous, I was talking to Voddie Bachum who is coming in Oct for FCW about coming, and he wanted to bring a music guy, money "Finally, Cindy said to me, ’You know, Kath, Jesus is Lord whether you accept him or not.’ I went home thinking about that. If Jesus was real, I had to check him out. I plowed through the Gospel of John and when I got to the end, I knew I had to make a decision. Everything would have to change."
4. 1) We are not allows to create a religion of our own design. Whether it is worship, theology, morality, or preaching, we are not allowed to do it the way we want to. This is idolatry, placing yourself in the place of God to decide truth. Anger is not a proper response to not getting what you want or need. Don’t say, “He makes me so angry.” Does anger drive you to pursue things? Are you envious of others and their blessings from God? 2) Does it ever look fishy to you when these TV preachers have $1000 suits, jewelry, fancy cars, big houses? They can be bought or influenced to preach on certain things by big money in the church. They go to minister where the most money is. They charge big money for tickets or services performed. 3) If there is not a submissive spirit in your life, you will never be a growing Christian. We all must submit, and be content where we are in life. Do not rebel against your Maker or the authorities that He has placed over your life.
Closing illustration: Secular Journalists exposing Christian charlatans: A modern phenomenon? Not really.
Lucian wrote satire in the mid-second century, and he loved to pick on Christians--especially when he smelled a fraud. In one of his works, he reports on a huckster named Peregrinus, a murderer and child molester who fled to Palestine and got involved with the Christians.
"In a trice he made them all look like children; for he was prophet, cult leader, head of the synagogue, and everything, all by himself. He interpreted and explained some of their books and even composed many, and they revered him as a god, made use of him as a lawgiver, and set him down as a protector, next after that other, to be sure, whom they still worship, the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world."
Peregrinus was imprisoned for his involvement with the Christians. This, Lucian says, was an "asset to his future career" as a charlatan. Christians traveled from all around to visit him; some tried to rescue him.
"Much money came to him from them by reason of his imprisonment, and he procured not a little revenue from it." Lucian comments on the strange beliefs of "these poor wretches," the Christians, who "despise all things indiscriminately and consider them common property, receiving such doctrines traditionally without any definite evidence. So if any charlatan or trickster, able to profit by occasions, comes among them, he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple folk."
Released from prison, Peregrinus wandered for a while, "possessing an ample source of funds in the Christians, through whose ministrations he lived in unalloyed prosperity." But his defrauding of the Christians would not last forever. Lucian says he "transgressed in some way even against them (he was seen, I think, eating some of the food that is forbidden them) they no longer accepted him."
Lucian’s tale continues, culminating in Peregrinus’s spectacular suicide. Before a crowd of Greeks at the Olympic festival, he jumped into a burning pyre. "So ended that poor wretch [Peregrinus], a man who (to put it briefly) never fixed his gaze on the verities, but always did and said everything with a view to glory and the praise of the multitude."
Of course Lucian treated this story in his classic satirical fashion; he may have overstated the facts. A fraud like Peregrinus could never dupe Christians so thoroughly, could he?
-- "Money II," Christian History, Issue 19.
See: Ecc 5:10; Jer 17:11; Ac 8:18-23; 1 Ti 6:10.
A. Recap
B. Invitation to commitment
