Opening illustration: D.L. Moody was a great evangelist from Chicago. He went to England once and met a young man there that wanted to preach in his church. Moody agreed thinking that he would never see him again. To his dismay he received a letter that said the young man would be in his town shortly and wanted to take him up on the offer. Moody was going out of town that week and agreed to let the man preach, but he warned the deacons to be ready in case it was a real flop. When Moody returned from his business his wife informed him that revival had broken out in his church and that "he needed to be converted". The young man preached every night on the same text, John 3:16, speaking of the love of God, from his heart. Moody went and he said he was indeed converted. He said I used to preach the judgment side of the cross, now I focus on the grace side of the cross; I used to preach mainly on the wrath of God, now I preach he said on the love of God. His life and ministry were forever changed. We need to experience a renewal of the Love of Christ in our Lives.
Let us turn to Jude 14 – 19 and catch up with Enoch’s third testimony which prepared him to be ready to be raptured and meet the Lord.
Introduction: Here Jude is said to have borrowed material from two apocryphal books, namely from “The Assumption of Moses” (cf. Jude 9) and from “The Book of Enoch” (cf. Jude 14, 15). Neither are inspired Scriptures. Thus it is evident that the Holy Spirit through his inspiration, which filters out all inaccuracies and incorporates only what is the truth, had Jude make use of these two factual statements. Jude’s use of the two apocryphal statements in no way implies the two apocryphal books should be considered on a par with the inspired Old Testament Scriptures. Scholars have noted that Paul also quoted from the pagan poets when their statements fit the point he was making (cf. Acts 17: 28; 1 Corinthians 15: 33; Titus 1: 12). Jude’s purpose was to expose the false teachers and their licentiousness, to urge the members of the church to contend for the faith that had been entrusted to them, and to encourage the members to extricate those in their midst who had fallen prey to the licentiousness.
How should we prophesy God’s coming judgment?
1. Warning everyone about the coming judgment of God (vs. 14b – 15a)
Jesus came as a Savior during His first coming. Saving grace has been available to man since then. Apparently that saving grace will come to an end when Christ returns and His judgment will kick in. This is the reason we must get the Word out to all the perishing souls and those still sitting on the fence. Whether they accept or not, ridicule, reject or even offend you is their response to God’s Word and that is not between them and us but between God and them.
Perhaps the word προεφητευσε, prophesied, means no more than preached, spoke, made declarations, etc., concerning these things and persons; for doubtless he reproved the ungodliness of his own times. But we can also do this love by articulating God’s love, peace, joy and His still available saving grace. We continue to teach and preach the love of God at the cross where Christ was crucified for our sins so that we are redeemed by His blood for life. So that when we believe in Him, we are assured of eternal life with Christ Jesus.
Romans 8: 1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
In John 9: 39 Jesus tells, “And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."
Matthew 24: 37 – 39 warns us, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
James 3: 1 warns believers in Biblical authority, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”
2. Convicting the ungodly to turn from wickedness (v. 15b)
There is condemnation for those who are without God, the fear of him love to him, or faith in him; who have lived without the worship of him, or in a false worship; and particularly false teachers are here meant, the same as in Jude 4; who will then be convicted in their own consciences, by that clear evidence, and full light, in which things will be set: both against law and Gospel: which they lived in the commission of, and continually practiced in a vile manner, publicly, and in defiance of heaven, and with seared consciences: either "against" God, as the Vulgate Latin version reads, against his being, his perfections, his providence, his purposes, his word, and worship; or rather against Jesus Christ the Lord, who will come to judge them, against his person and offices, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; his ministers and people, his truths and ordinances.
1 Peter 4: 17 says “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
3. Warning the body of Christ about mockers and divisors (v. 19)
These be they who separate themselves ... Not from sinners openly profane; such a separation is commendable, being according to the will and word of God, to the mind and practice of Christ, and which tends to the good of men, and to the glory of God; but from the saints and people of God; it is possible that a child of God may for a time leave the fellowship of the saints, but an entire and total forsaking of them, and of assembling with them, looks with an ill aspect; nor did they separate themselves from superstition and will worship, and every false way of worship, which would have been right, but from the pure worship, ordinances, and discipline of God’s house, by a perversion of them, and as being above them, or unwilling to be under any notice and government; not from errors and heresies, and persons that held them, with these they herded; but from the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and ministers of the word, and made divisions and separations among the churches, for worldly ends, and through pride and affectation of vain glory, as if they were more knowing, more holy, and more spiritual than other men: when they were sensual; such as gave themselves up to sensual lusts and pleasures; and at best were but natural men, who had only natural and rational abilities, but without spiritual and experimental knowledge: hence it follows, having not the Spirit; though they might have some external gifts of the Spirit; or he himself dwelling in them as a spirit of conviction and illumination, as a spirit of regeneration and sanctification, as a spirit of faith and comfort, as a spirit of adoption, and as the earnest and pledge of the heavenly glory; they were not under his influence, nor did they feel the operations of his grace, nor had they communion with him: hence they appeared to be none of Christ’s, nor could they claim interest in him, and were without life, and so could not persevere.
The evil was, not only that certain men had crept in among them — in itself an immense evil, because the action of the Holy Ghost is thereby hindered among Christians — but that, definitely, the entire testimony before God, the vessel which held this testimony, would become (as had been already the case with the Jews) corrupt to such a degree that it would bring down upon itself the judgment of God. And it has become thus corrupt.
2 Peter 3: 1 – 4 tells us, “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
Application: Time to retrospect!
Where do we stand today in our Christian life? Have we ever made that decision to follow Christ for life? Have we made Him our Lord, Savior and God?
We saw in this series on the ‘Coming of Christ’ the testimony that Enoch had before God raptured him. This is not a recipe for rapture but a guideline for getting intimate with God so that you are with Him eternity. Whether it is here, there or in the air!
Will we be a people who will ~
Walk with God ~ Will we walk worthy of the calling God has placed upon each one of our lives?
Please God ~ Will we be God pleasers rather than people pleasers?
Prophesy His coming judgment ~ Will we tell others about God’s saving grace which is still open for everyone till He returns again? Judgment is inevitable! No one will escape it.
Someone asked me whether they could change as soon as Christ would arrive? … No way! Hear the message to find out more.
