Title: A Healthy Christian
Theme: To show that there are false teachers, but we must keep out self-healthy NJ and willing to help others.
Text: Jude 1:17 - 23
Transition:
You might say all of this one way or another is spiritually sick and theologically wrongheaded, and you would be right. So, what do you do? What is the answer? Jude would respond, “we need Godly wisdom for a healthy Christian,” and that is exactly what he gives us in vs. 17-23. His prescription for what spiritually ails us will revolve around 3 ideas: remember, remain and rescue.
I. Remember the words of our Lord. vs. 17-19
Jude 1:17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
Jude’s letter shifts gears in v.17, signaled by the word “beloved” (v 3, 17, 20). Jude moves from the “these” of the false teachers (v.16) to the “you” of the believing community. The “you” is emphatic, and what follows is the first imperative in the letter, though 4 more will follow in rapid-fire succession.
Jude says “remember!” Remember what? Two important truths.
Beloved – remember that you are loved by God. Remember your love for God. Agape, unconditional love. We are loved by God.
1) The presence of false teachers is certain. vs. 17-18 “remember words of apostles”
By means of His apostles, our Lord (deity) Jesus (humanity) Christ (God’s Messiah, anointed one) had warned that false teachers would come. Indeed, they warned us that mockers (ESV, scoffer) would appear in the last times (eschatou).
- Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:15-23; 24:11, 14
- Paul warns us in Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-9
- Peter warns us in 2 peter 2:1-3; 12-22
- John warns us in 1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-3
- and Jude warns us thru his whole letter.
Their presence is a confirmation of Scripture’s truth. We are living in the last times. As in actual times, 2000 years as is 2 days to the Lord. Also as time grows near.
Their presence is a certainty predicted by our Savior and His apostles.
2) The portrait of false teachers is clear. vs. 18-19
Jude provides a 4-fold picture of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, these diabolical masqueraders who manipulate and worm their way into our community of faith.
The portrait is not pretty.
a. They are mockers. v. 18 “scoffers” – make light of, joke and laugh at God’s ways and righteousness
Jude calls them mockers or scoffers. The NEB says they are “men who pour scorn on religion.” Peter says they scoffed at the reality of Jesus’ return (2 Pet. 3:4). Jude says they laugh at, sneer, make light of God’s holiness and moral perfection. They joke about God’s righteous character and have no reverence for His purity.
b. They are sensual. vs. 18-19 “walk according to ungodly lust”
Mocking God’s law and moral precepts, these men walk according to their own ungodly (6 times in Jude) lust. Echoing vs. 16, Jude adds that following after and being controlled by their lust, they pursue what is ungodly. They live on the earthly plane, not the heavenly.
- They are not spiritual but sensual.
- They are not spiritual but carnal.
- Lust is Lord. Selfish desire their sovereign dictator.
c. They are schismatic. v. 19 “cause divisions”
Satan loves to divide, rip and tear apart. These evil emissaries follow their master and cause divisions. Like Diotrephes in III John they promote and foster strife not unity. Lacking respect for spiritual leaders, making sport of moral conviction, lampooning theological distinctives, they can demolish in a day what took a decade to build.
Application: When you see such persons coming don’t let them in! When you see such persons within, get them out!
d. They are Spiritless. v. 19 “have no spirit” in contrast we are told to walk in the spirit
The last characteristic is the most telling and tragic. These persons are lost, unregenerate, they “do not have the Spirit” (NIV). Romans 8:9 says, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His”. They claim Christ but do not know Him. They boast of the Spirit but their lives betray their confession. They are spiritual frauds, religious shams. As Titus 1:16 says, “they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.”
Transition: The presence of false teachers is certain. The portrait of false teachers is clear.
Remember and never forget.
II. Keep in the Love of God. vs. 20-21
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Jude 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life
“Keep Yourselves in the Love of God”
But you – This is not about what other does, including preachers failing or false prophets. We must not base our salvation on others.
• Jude now shifts gears as he lays down a game plan, a spiritual strategy for the nurturing of a healthy Christian. His formula is basic, but it is certain to work and never fail if carefully followed and put into practice.
• The grammar of these verses is fascinating as Jude anchors his instruction with the imperative “keep,” and then sets in place 3 participles that explain how we keep ourselves in the love of God. Schreiner is most certainly correct in spotting an implicit Trinitarianism in the text (p. 481).
How?
1. Looking for the Mercy of God
Give God the benefit of the doubt.
2. Grow in the Scriptures. v. 20 - building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
• Linked to the imperative “keep,” the participles “building,” “praying,” and “looking” have an imperatival force. They function like commands.
• Jude admonishes us to build ourselves up on or in your most holy faith. The faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (v.3) is the foundation, the bedrock upon which to build. Ephesians 2:20 affirms that our foundation “is the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” Christ and His gospel is our foundation. God and His Word our sure place to stand. From here we grow and mature as God’s Word permeates our mind and fills our heart. As we learn the Scriptures and understand its truth, we are strengthened, we grow, we mature, we are built up. No Bible no growth. No Word no maturity. No gospel, nothing of eternal good will we receive.
• As the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, so must we daily ingest and digest God’s Word and its truth.
Application: Stay in the word of God. Do not venture and do not waver. Your relationship with Christ will grow no deeper that your reading of the word. You know God better.
Quote: “This Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Bible” – DL Moody
3. Pray in the Spirit. v. 20 praying in the Holy Spirit
• Praying in the Spirit is the 3rd plank of our spiritual strategy for spiritual health.
• Jude contrast false teachers who do not have the Spirit with those who can pray in the Spirit. As the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19-20), the very presence of God resides and lives in us, guiding us, convicting us, even praying for us (Romans 8:26).
• Praying in the Spirit means we will pray for God’s will to be done not our will be done. It will keep us close to God, yes, it will keep us in the sphere and presence of His love.
What does it mean to pray in the Holy Ghost? It means allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire your prayers, saying, "Lord, I don't want to come to You with my ideas and my agenda because I don't know what these things might lead to if You grant them to me. So I come to You, Lord, asking for Your Spirit to inspire me to pray. Guide my conversation, Lord. Help me to pray biblically, to be guided by Your Spirit even as I talk with You right now."
Praying until you sense His presence. Almost a satisfaction.
To pray in the Spirit means the Spirit is inspiring prayer. To pray in the Spirit also sometimes means just groaning. "Oh, Lord, I don't know what to do about this. I don't know how to handle that." Ever just groan? Paul did, for in Romans 8 he writes that the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered (verse Rom_8:26). Praying in the Spirit says, "Lord, I can't even articulate my situation without You."
Second, praying in the Spirit means praying in tongues. Speaking specifically of praying in tongues, Paul says, "I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with understanding also. I'm going to allow this miraculous, mysterious process of the Spirit praying through me with words I do not understand intellectually and have not learned academically" (see 1Co_14:15).
I encourage those of you who have exercised this particular manifestation to continue to develop it. Your mind will rebel against it. You mind will ask, "Why do it? What good is it?" But Paul says, "I would that you all spoke with tongues" (see 1Co_14:5). That is why I am personally strongly persuaded that if you read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 carefully, you will conclude that, while placing severe restrictions around the public utterance of tongues, Paul encourages the private, devotional use of the prayer language.
Being led by the Spirit, groaning in the Spirit, using a prayer language from the Spirit are all aspects of what it means to pray in the Holy Ghost.
- Courson
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4. Watch for the Savior. v. 21 looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life
• “Looking” has the idea of “waiting”, waiting expectantly and with certainty. I do not wonder if Jesus is coming, I know He is coming. As 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, and the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” Titus 2:13 calls this “the blessed hope.” Jude says it is a coming of mercy unto eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ (cf v. 4, 17). The mercy Jude prayed would be multiplied in v.2 is now realized as the eastern sky is split wide open and the King of glory comes in, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (Psalm 24:7-8).
• Dear brothers and sisters, my heart and eyes are fixed heavenward for
1. a rider on a white horse whose name is Faithful and True,
2. whose eyes are like a flame of fire and on His head are many crowns.
3. I’m looking for one whose robe is dipped in blood
4. and on His thigh He has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
While I wait: I will grow in His Word, pray by His Spirit, and watch for His coming.
There will come a day when I wil see Him face to face, bow my knee, and kiss His nail scarred feet, but until that day I will be passionate to carry out a crucial and essential assignment.
III. Rescue the wandering who are lost. vs. 22-23
Jud 1:22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
2nd Offenders: Those that are in the second line of defense.
• In a recent poll George Barna said American Christians have “commitment issues” (April 18, 2006). He sees a “lowering the bar on Church commitment” and the emergence of a “soft Christianity.” He writes, “Americans are willing to expend some energy in religious activities such as attending church and reading the Bible, and they are willing to throw some money in the offering basket.
• Did you notice no mention of soul winning, sharing the gospel, doing the work of an evangelist. Might I remind all of us, myself included that the Son of Man came to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10), that the Son of God came on a rescue mission for lost, dying, wandering souls.
• A warning: if you do not care if people are saved you might consider if you are saved. A love for Christ will compel you to have a love for the lost, those who come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and make-ups. Jude notes in particular 3 we must seek to rescue and the strategy by which we carry out our mission.
1. Deal gently with those who doubt. v. 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction
• Verses 22-23 are a landmine of textual issues. The basic meaning is clear, but the details are a challenge. Both the ESV and HCSB see 3 groups in view (whereas some translations identify 2), and they also capture best, in my judgment, the sense of the autograph.
• Jude calls us to have mercy (pre. imp., NKJV, “compassion”) on those who doubt. Those who have mercy multiplied in Christ (v. 2) and receive that mercy in its fullness at His coming (v. 21) are to extend that same mercy to those who doubt, who waver, who struggle with the truth of the gospel and Holy Scripture because of the influence of false teaching.
Such persons should not be rejected or ignored, ridiculed or harassed. With compassion and conviction, kindness and firmness, mercy and concern, we encourage them in the truth, patiently pointing them to Jesus and His all sufficiency.
2. Deal quickly with those who are in danger. v. 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire
• A second group face an even more serious and precarious situation, so close are they to the fires of hell and eternal judgment. Jude quickly interjects, “save (pre. imp.) others by snatching them out of the fire.” Sounding the alarm, Jude calls for quick and decisive action. It is almost too late, they are almost too far gone. However, there is still time to rescue them, but we must act now. There is urgency in Jude’s voice.
James 5:19-20 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, (20) let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
There is a heightened concern in his heart. I suspect there is a tear in his eye.
• Hell is not a popular subject. People don’t want to talk or even think about it. Even many in the church act as if it is not real or if we ignore it, it will just go away. However, never forget this as long as you live: Given enough time, every person who has ever lived will one day believe in hell. Sometimes confrontational evangelism is necessary. Sometimes it is our only hope!
3. Deal carefully with those who are defiled. v. 23 hating even the garment defiled by the flesh
• This 3rd group is in the most desperate condition of all. Having bought into the lies of false teaching, their lives are now corrupted as well. Both in how they think and live, they are corrupt, defiled and depraved. They are a danger to themselves, but they are also a danger to others as well. Jude, therefore, sounds a wise word of warning: “to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” The word picture is vivid and striking. Sin has stained and contaminated these persons. Love them, show mercy, but don’t get too close for even their clothes can defile you if you are not careful. Carriers of spiritual HIV, the disease of sin has broken out all over them. We may still be able to reach them and rescue them, but we cannot get too close nor can we become like them.
• It is a lie of Satan that says we have to live like the lost to reach the lost. I have to drink like them, curse like them, party like them, be like them.
Story of wheat and the tares: Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
Transition:
So we deal with some gently, with some quickly, and with some carefully. But dear brother and sisters, we must deal with all we can in one way or another before it is too late.
Conclusion:
• William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. Booth said, “if I had my way I would not send my workers to 4 years of college. If I had my way, I would not put them thru 3 years of seminary. If I had my way, I would put all of my workers in hell for 5 minutes! That would be the best theological training they would ever receive.”
Reminder:
Know we are loved
Lean on the mercy of God
Build up in the faith
Pray in the Holy Spirit, walk in the Holy Spirit
Watch for the Savior
