DEFENDING THE FAITH
Jude
Beginning next Sunday night, we’re going to begin a study on the Book of Revelation. This is one of those books of the Bible that I believe intrigues most people and it’s also one that many preachers steer clear of because they don’t understand it themselves. In fact, one of the questions I was asked when I was being interviewed by the search committee almost two years ago was, “Will you preach out of Revelation?” Well, I finally feel like I have somewhat of a grasp as far as an overview is concerned on the book of Revelation after taking a course on it over the summer so I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you and I hope you will come and be a part of it.
But before we get to Revelation I want to take a look at the letter written just before it in our bibles. The letter I’m talking about is Jude. Most people don’t even know it’s there; it’s one of the most overlooked books of the Bible. Based on verse count, Jude is tied for the fourth shortest books in the Bible.
The gospel message is all about good news. But sometimes, we gotta talk about bad news. Sometimes we can’t just walk around and say what we believe, we have to take a stand against what we don’t believe. That’s the message of Jude. Jude is a call for a strong, courageous defense of our faith. Sometimes, we don’t realize how valuable what we have is until we have to defend it.
Read Vv. 1-2
This letter was written by, what many people to believe, the half-brother of Jesus and the younger brother of James somewhere around AD 60. Other than that, we know very little about Jude. He must have been a humble man as he’s satisfied to be simply known as a servant of Jesus and rest in the shadow of his better-known brother. I suspect that we can all learn something from that!
Jude identifies his audience with three important adjectives—“called”, “sanctified” (loved), and “preserved” (kept). And even though he doesn’t spell it out, he’s probably referring to the work of the Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in the Christian life. As believers, we were called to faith through the work of the Holy Spirit. It’s because of God the Father’s love for us that we are saved. And it’s our faith in Jesus Christ, not our own strength, that keeps us secure. Now, let’s look at the three sections that this short letter is broken into:
THE PURPOSE (v. 3)
Notice how Jude explains his purpose. Sometimes, we gotta do what needs to be done instead of what we’d rather do. Nobody likes to talk about sin, judgment and hell. Nobody likes to hear messages that end up leaving us feeling depressed. No, we’d rather hear inspirational messages that remind us of God’s grace and His blessings for His people. So when the preacher starts stepping on our toes instead of tickling our ears, we tend to dismiss it as somebody else’s problem somewhere else. Not here. Not now. Not us. But this kind of thinking is the surest way for a church, a family, or an individual believer to start heading down the wrong path.
There are a couple of phrases in Jude’s purpose statement that are critical. First, he calls his audience to “contend earnestly for the faith.” The word “contend” was used by the people of this day to describe “wrestling.” So this is describing an up close and personal battle. Also, I want you to notice how it describes “faith”. It’s not talking about a personal opinion, but a body of truth. It’s not our faith or your faith. It’s “the faith”. There’s no room for man made religion when it comes to God’s Word; it’s not a buffet line where you can just pick and choose what you want to believe while leaving the things that you don’t like off of your plate.
The other important phrase is “once for all delivered.” This is speaking of a revealed faith. It’s delivered, not discovered. There’s also a finality to the faith. God has spoken. Jesus came and lived out the message. He died, was buried, and rose from the grave. This was a “once for all” faith; it’s settled. It’s not open for discussion by any denomination, church body, or religious leader announcing a new and revised faith. We believe in, stand with, and “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered.”
THE PROBLEM (v. 4)
To make a long story short, false teachers had invaded the church. Now I want you to understand that this wasn’t the first time this problem had occurred and it definitely wasn't the last. So Jude strongly and suggestively describes the history, the character, and the fate of these unnamed men. There names weren’t what was important because again, every generation has them in one form or another. But recognizing that they exist and the impending consequences of failing to deal with them is the beginning of finding the solution.
Jude tells his audience that there were people who had snuck in among the church that, simply put, were fake. They looked good on the outside, but their hearts were filled with ungodliness. It wasn’t so much that they denied the existence of God, they just disregarded Him. God wasn’t a part of their teachings or their ministries; their false message took a deadly wrong turn: they denied that Jesus was the Son of God.
They also, like many people today, used grace as an excuse for sin. In all likelihood, these teachers represented some form of Gnosticism. Gnostics are those who try to make a complete separation between flesh and spirit. In short, anything goes as long as you claim to be spiritual! Well, God knows how to handle this problem. He’s dealt with it before; He’ll deal with it again.
Read Vv. 5-7
Basically Jude is telling us that if God can bring this type of judgment on the Israelites, the rebellious angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah, rest assured He will bring judgment on these “certain men.”
A lot of people claim to love God, but they don’t obey Him. According to recent statistics, 33% of Americans over the age of 18 profess Christ as their Savior. Compare that to 82% professing Christians just 15 years ago. What caused the sudden change? We have been ineffective in our efforts, or lack thereof, to reach the lost. There is no more transformation. We live in a country that is spiritually ignorant. The American gospel has evolved into a gospel that says you can accept Jesus into your heart but you don’t have to let Him change your life. Let’s continue by reading what Jude has to say about these type of people…
Read Vv. 8-11
After his three examples of judgment, Jude gives three examples of their character:
“they have gone in the way of Cain” (selfish disobedience);
“have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit” (anything for greed);
“perished in the rebellion of Korah” (self-appointed authority).
Read Vv. 12-16
Jude illustrates what will happen to them. Notice the repeated use of the word “ungodly.” He returns again to a description of their character. This is what ungodliness looks like. So there we have the problem, but what’s…
THE PRESCRIPTION (Vv. 17-23)
In these verses, Jude explains to us how to defend the faith. But first, he builds on a point he’s already made. This isn’t a new problem. We shouldn't be surprised that we have to contend for the faith. So Jude gives us three defensive strategies:
First, we must build ourselves and each other up in the faith. We can’t defend the faith by ourselves.
Secondly, we must pray in the Spirit. This is talking about praying under the leadership and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Third, we are told to “keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” So yes, we can rest in God’s love. It’s His grace by which we are saved, “once for all”. But we also have a responsibility to “keep” ourselves in that grace.
What follows next, could best be described as three offensive steps. We don’t just sit in our castles with our drawbridges shut tight. We have a calling and ministry to those who are in need. Jude gives us three different groups that need our help:
Be compassionate towards those who doubt (v. 22).
Pull those out of the fire who are in danger of making a permanent and fatal choice (v. 23).
While you’re showing mercy, be cautious. Sin is contagious (Vv. 22-23).
Read Vv. 24-25
These final two verses tie everything together for us with a much-needed word of hope. We can “contend earnestly for the faith” because our confidence is in the God, who knows how to take care of us. We still live in “perilous” times; that’s the bad news. And as much as we’d like to just look the other way and not have to speak truth, that’s not an option for believers. To do so would be far to costly. IT’S NOT OVER TIL IT’S OVER. So we need to recognize the problem and prescribe the solution…resting in God, who is greater than any difficulty.
