Through the Bible - Jude

This is your meaning: saying you have been a shelter to every generation, a sanctuary from the storm. We thank you so much that we find our refuge in You, that You are our ever-present help in time of trouble. You're our sanctuary, our Lord, our high rock. We run to You, and we're safe in You. Lord, we thank You so much.

Just as Rahab was safe in the house with the scarlet cord, just as Noah was safe in the ark, or the children of Israel were safe in their homes with the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, Lord, we are safe in You, and You have saved us tonight. We thank You so much for the salvation that You have given to us, Lord.

As we are going to look into this book that Jude starts speaking about, our common salvation, Lord, we thank You tonight that those 2,000 years ago who were in the early church were saved just as we are today. It doesn't change, Lord. Your Word doesn't change. You were the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are the one who was, and is, and is to come, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Lord Jesus, I pray that we would know that peace, that we would experience it in our lives. Just as You said, in the world we will have trouble, but in You, Lord, we might have peace. So I pray that we would be those who are drawing near to You, praying without ceasing, and experiencing Your peace which surpasses understanding. For we ask it in Jesus' name. All God's people said, Amen.

All right, the book of Jude is a powerful little book. As you've gone through the whole of the New Testament, looking at the different letters by Paul, Peter, James, John, and now Jude, we see that in just about every one of these letters, there is mention of false teaching and false doctrine. Jude, maybe more than any of the other New Testament writers, really hits it full force.

In his day, he was seeing false teaching come into the church, and he mentions exactly what it is. We'll look at it in just a moment, but he noticed that he says there in verse 3.

He had desired to write them a certain kind of letter, but as he sat down to write, he determined that something else needed to be written. He wanted to write them an encouraging letter about their common salvation, but instead, he had to write to them that they would earnestly contend for the faith.

Remember that Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 3, said that we need to be those who are always ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us, with meekness and fear. Paul, Peter, John, and all the apostles really challenged and encouraged the church to be ready to stand and give a defense. In Paul's last two letters, 1 and 2 Timothy, we see him challenging the church to be ready, especially in 2 Timothy. He tells Timothy not to be afraid, that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. He instructs Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of the messenger, Paul.

We are to be able to stand strong and give a defense for the hope that God has given to us because there will always be those who are naysayers, or as they are called here, gainsayers, who try to come against the Scripture. They teach seditious heresies, things that seduce people, enticing teachings that some may find appealing. Jude will mention this shortly, discussing the kind of teaching that was being delivered to the saints, which was false doctrine that was truly enticing.

It is interesting how Jude begins his letter, identifying himself as Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James. In Matthew chapter 13, verse 55, we read that Jesus had four brothers, one of whom was named James, who wrote the letter we have in the New Testament, the book of James. We studied that just a few weeks ago. Another brother was Judas, or Jude, who is writing this letter.

However, notice that he does not mention being the half-brother of Jesus; instead, he identifies himself as the brother of James. I believe that Jude recognized that Jesus was fully God, and although he had the same earthly mother as Jesus, he understood that their fathers were extremely different. Yet, he still refers to himself as the servant of Jesus Christ. This is very intriguing because, during Jesus's ministry, his brothers did not believe that he was the Messiah.

He was the Messiah. They really questioned his ministry. In fact, at one point in the Gospels, James, Jude, and their other two brothers, along with their mother Mary, came to try and get Jesus because they were concerned that he had gone crazy. He had all these people following him, and they had seen that their cousin, John the Baptist, had been put to death. Now Jesus had a great following, and he was preaching a message of repentance. They could see that this wasn't good for John the Baptist, and it wouldn't be good for Jesus if they didn't do something about it.

Yet, ultimately, Jude became a believer. What kind of testimony is that? This is the same man who grew up with Jesus in Galilee, who watched him grow, and who observed his older brother. He had the opportunity to see Jesus's life up close and personal. After Jesus's resurrection, Jude became a believer, which is pretty powerful. Think about your siblings. Consider how much you know about them as you grew up together and how they drove you crazy.

We don't know a lot about Jesus's early life. There are some stories that are apocryphal, extra-biblical accounts that talk about different things Jesus did as a child, but we really don't know if those things are true. In fact, many of them are extremely fanciful and off the wall. You often wonder, was Jesus like the perfect child? I mean, he was without sin, so you could never blame anything on your brother Jesus. Just think about that. Your mom turns around and says, "Jude, what are you doing?" and you respond, "It was Jesus." Oh, come on. We know that's not true. Living under the shadow of Jesus in the home would have been tough, I would think.

Yet, Jude ultimately became a believer and a follower of Jesus. He refers to himself as a servant of Jesus. His brothers mocked him, as seen in John chapter 7. At the beginning of that chapter, everyone was going up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, and Jesus seemed to be staying back in Galilee. His brothers said to him, "Go on up there. If you have all these followers, go show yourself to the people. They want to see you." It seems that Jude, early in his life, was a mocker of his brother Jesus and didn't fully believe in him until after the resurrection.

But after Jesus had raised from the dead, Jude became a follower, a believer, and a servant of the Lord Jesus, identifying himself as a brother of James. James was very well known in the church. As you read through the Book of Acts, particularly in Acts chapter 15, you see that he was really the leader of the church.

In Jerusalem, people knew who James was, and he was well respected. He was also one of the early martyrs of the faith. Jude says, "I am the brother of James to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Notice those three things that Jude mentions here about the ministry of our God and salvation: that our God sanctifies us, our Lord Jesus preserves us, and He calls us. These are great, important theological truths: sanctification, perseverance, and calling.

"Mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied," Jude says. Then he continues, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, it was necessary or needful for me to write unto you, and to exhort you that you should earnestly contend or defend the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints."

This idea of defending the faith is important and is stressed a number of times in the Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament. Yet, oftentimes, I believe it is misunderstood. For some reason, people seem to think that they have to fight for Jesus, defend Jesus, and try to stick up for Jesus. You see people almost roll up their Bibles and want to beat others up with their Bibles to contend for the faith.

However, Jude will explain in the later verses of this chapter just what he means when he wants us to stand strong and contend. As Peter said, we are to always be ready to give a defense. The word in the Greek is "apologia." We are to have an apologetic, a defense, and the ability to reason with people and explain to them what the Scriptures have to say. We must be able to give an answer for the questions that people bring.

There were questions coming against the church very early on, and there have always been, and will always be, those who question what we believe, especially when false teachings arise. There are so many different ideas, understandings, or interpretations—oftentimes wrong interpretations of passages and misinterpretations taken out of context.

Jude, as did Peter, Paul, John, and many others, reminds us that we need to be ready. While I wanted to write to you about our common salvation, it was necessary that I write to you so that you would be ready to contend for the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints. Notice that it wasn't something that they got together.

Our common salvation was delivered unto us. The good news, the gospel, was given by revelation. Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 that he delivered unto us that which was given to him. That Christ Jesus, on the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and broke it. When he had given thanks, he gave it to his disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." He received the idea of communion from the Lord by revelation.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul also said, "I delivered unto you that which was given unto me, that Christ Jesus died according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures." This was something that they had received by revelation. It wasn't something that they got together in the upper room after Jesus had died and crafted some story. If it had been just some manufacturing of man, do you think that Jude, the brother of Jesus, would have really followed it? Unless he had seen the risen Lord, I don't think he would have followed.

He says it was our common salvation that was delivered unto us. Why do we need to earnestly contend for the faith? In verse 4, it states that there are certain men who have crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation—ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are some people who have crept into the church, bringing in false teaching. There always are those who come in, in a sense, through the back door. They come in with cunning to deceive. They may sincerely believe these things to be true, but they are not scriptural. One of the teachings that was coming into the early church was the idea that the grace of God means you can do whatever you want; it gives you a license to sin. Paul addresses this in several of his letters, most specifically in the book of Romans, where he asks, "Shall we sin that grace may abound?"

There was a teaching in the early church, and some were starting to embrace this kind of Gnostic heresy, which had a dualistic understanding of man—that there is the spiritual and there is the physical. In the North African region, particularly in Alexandria, the understanding of Gnosticism looked down on the physical. They claimed that anything physical is ungodly and evil, while everything spiritual is good, pure, and holy. Thus, they viewed the physical as wicked.

And defiled and destructive, some people abstained from just about any physical sort of thing. Paul confronted this issue where there were individuals who said, "Touch not, taste not," and discouraged pursuing those sorts of things. This was a form of Gnostic heresy. Among the Gnostics, some had taken hold of this belief, asserting that there is a spirit and a physical realm, with the spirit being good, holy, and right. They believed that since we have the Spirit of God in us, we can live however we want in the flesh. They thought the physical would always be wicked and terrible, so they might as well indulge. They claimed that God has given us grace, allowing us to do whatever we want. Furthermore, they believed that as they continued in these fleshly pursuits, God would grant them even more grace.

Consequently, they figured they could live however they pleased because they had a license to sin and engage in lasciviousness. Not only that, they denied the only Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ. They rejected the Lordship of God, believing they had authority over their own lives. They thought they could choose to do as they pleased. Just as there were people 2,000 years ago who lived this way, there are people today who believe it is acceptable to act in this manner. They think that as long as they have God in their lives, as long as Jesus is in their hearts, they can live in sin and that grace will continue to abound. We see this in our own nation and sometimes in our own families—people who continue to walk in sin yet believe they know God.

However, notice what Jude says about this kind of lifestyle. In verse 5, he states, "I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." He reminds us that the Lord, after rescuing the children of Israel from Egypt, later destroyed those who did not remain faithful and did not follow Him.

As you read through the book of Exodus and Numbers, you find that only two individuals from that entire generation that came out of Egypt entered the Promised Land. Every single one of them died in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb. That is quite powerful. Even Moses, the one whom the Lord used to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, also died in the wilderness. He was very close to the Promised Land and had the opportunity to see it from Mount Nebo, located in what we now call modern-day Jordan, just over the Dead Sea.

Sea, just over the Jordan River in the east, Moses was able to see the promised land. Yet, even Moses died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter, because they were the ones who returned with a faithful report. We know that Moses's death in the wilderness was due to his misrepresentation of God when he struck the rock, as the Scriptures declare. Thankfully, we also know that Moses later came into the promised land, and he is with the Lord in heaven today. We see him in the promised land during the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17. He was transfigured there with Jesus, who was transfigured before his disciples, and they saw Moses and Elijah speaking with him. This account is also found in Luke chapter 9.

However, every single one of them died in the wilderness because they did not remain faithful. Why is Jude bringing this up? There are people who have come into the church, and sometimes the church is unaware of these tares among the wheat. They introduce damnable heresies and false teachings that are seductive. Imagine that—a seditious type of heresy that attracts people with the idea that once you're a Christian, you can do whatever you want. Many people would find that kind of teaching appealing. They grab onto it, yet Jude reminds us that the Lord destroyed those He saved out of Egypt because they did not remain faithful. They did not continue in the faith.

Not only those He brought out of Egypt, but in verse 6, Jude gives another example. He says, "And the angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." He reminds us of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority that God gave them. This brings up an interesting reference and another teaching that has caused some people to pause in Genesis chapter 6, where we read about the sons of God who came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children who were called the men of renown or the Nephilim. There are different understandings or interpretations of this passage. One interpretation suggests that the sons of God are simply the godly descendants of Seth, while the daughters of men are the wicked descendants of Cain and the rest of the people on the earth at that time. However, the Scripture seems to indicate that these sons of God were indeed angels who left their estate and their position of authority that God had given them in the spiritual realm.

They came and took on some sort of form that looked human here on the earth, and they went in unto the daughters of men. They saw that they were lovely, and as a result of that, came this race of Nephilim, these giants that were in the land. Ultimately, as a result of that, God flooded the earth and destroyed His creation, except for Noah and his family. Jude brings that up. He says that in the same way God destroyed the children of Israel who did not remain faithful, He has also reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment, these angels that left their estate. These angels did not stay within the limits of God's authority that He had given to them, where they were supposed to belong.

So God judged the children of Israel that He brought out of Egypt. He judged these ministering spirits, these angels, and has reserved them for everlasting judgment. Then, in verse 7, he gives us another example. He says that even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, in like manner, gave themselves over to fornication and went after strange flesh, they are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude reminds us not to forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities and towns. They were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. As a result, those cities were completely destroyed by fire.

Not only were they destroyed by physical fire, but the people of those cities are in eternal fire and punishment forever. Jude's very clear view and understanding of the Scriptures and the teaching of God is that if you do not follow after the Lord and use the grace of God as a license to sin, judgment will come. Just as God judged the children of Israel that He brought out of Egypt, just as He judged those angels that left the authority that God had given them, just as He judged the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, God will judge.

This is a topic of teaching that oftentimes people do not like to consider. Yet, it is important that we understand that almost the entire book of Revelation, which is yet future, is oriented towards the wrath and punishment of God that is going to come upon all unrighteousness and ungodliness of those who suppress the truth. There are people even today who suppress the truth. One of the ways they do this is by teaching false truths and false teachings. They hold back the very clear teaching of what God has to say and instead give forth these seductive heresies.

Jude is reminding us, and God is reminding us, that there is the wrath of God. There are those who store up for themselves wrath for the day of wrath. While this is an uncomfortable teaching, it is an important one, and people need to recognize that God will judge. He is merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and patient. He is full of mercy and grace, and yet He will by no means clear the guilty.

There are people who not only live in a guilty manner and pervert themselves after the things of this world, but they also teach others to do so. This is a very dangerous thing. In Luke 17, Jesus says that those who cause one of the least of these to stumble would be better off having a millstone hung around their neck and being cast into the depths of the sea. It appears that there is a great judgment set aside for those who not only live after a pattern of fornication and wickedness, pursuing the things of this world while professing God, but who also teach others to do the same. God says that this kind of action will be judged.

In light of what was going on in the church, can you see why Jude changed what he was going to write? It seems he wanted to write an encouraging letter about our common salvation, but as he looked at the landscape of the church in his day, he decided he needed to write something about contending for the faith because false teaching was coming in.

I find for myself that the Lord has given me a message, especially in the last year or so—well, actually even before that. He has given me a message that is a real challenge and exhortation to the body of Christ. I would love to come and give just encouraging messages on our common salvation, yet the Lord seems to have given me a word of exhortation that people would contend for the faith. Jude was doing that in his day because there were people who had entered the church, bringing in false teachings.

I was watching a little video this morning of one such person who has brought a false teaching into the church. He was basically telling his hearers that we need to stop talking about sin, death, judgment, and punishment because those things are harsh. Instead, we need to just sit down and talk with one another. I think, however, that we need to share with people the good news of the gospel: that there is sin, and as a result of sin, there is death, and there is punishment for eternity. Yet God has given us the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

And so Jude and those in the early church who were apostles and teachers were constantly giving this kind of exhortative message to the body of Christ. Verse 8 states, "Likewise also, these filthy dreamers," referring to the wicked ones who have come into the church unaware. These filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignitaries. Notice the three things that he says these people do: they defile, they despise, and they defame.

They defile themselves by the lusts of the flesh. They pursue the things of this world, not following after God. They are slaves of sin and not followers of righteousness. Thus, they defile themselves. They also despise dominion, which he will explain further in just one verse. Additionally, they defame or speak evil of dignitaries.

Now, what exactly does he mean by these things? Verse 9 explains, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses. He does not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'" This illustrates what he means by despising dominion and speaking evil of dignitaries. Even Michael the archangel, this great and mighty angel of God, when he contended for the body of Moses and came against Lucifer, did not bring any sort of reviling word against him. He simply said, "The Lord rebuke you."

This is an interesting concept, and it is something not found in the Bible. It is found in a book that the Jews understood and knew about during that time, called The Assumption of Moses. You can actually find it at Barnes & Noble or just about any store, and you can read through it online. It is one of those books that we would call extra-biblical or apocryphal. If you were part of the Catholic Church, you would know that they include this book in their Bible. We do not believe it to be a biblical or scriptural book, but it was well known by the Jews of Jesus' day and Jude's day. They were familiar with this book and its stories.

Not only does Jude reference The Assumption of Moses, but he will also reference the Book of Enoch later on in this letter. Some of the teachers of the law in Jesus' day referenced the Book of Tobit, which is another book from the Apocrypha. There are a number of extra-biblical books that we do not have in our Bibles. Each of those books contains some truths, but they are primarily filled with error.

It is a mixture of truth and error. Yet, Jude here pulls out one of the truths revealed in the book, The Assumption of Moses. The Bible describes in the end of the book of Deuteronomy that Moses died on Mount Nebo. However, The Assumption of Moses reveals that Michael the archangel was dispatched by God to retrieve the body of Moses. Lucifer also sought the body of Moses, believing he had a right to it because Moses had murdered an Egyptian. He claimed, in The Assumption of Moses, that he had a right to this body and to all physical things associated with it.

For some reason, God wanted Moses' body to be buried and kept from Lucifer. Therefore, Michael went to retrieve the body of Moses. When confronted by Lucifer, he did not bring any reviling accusation against him. He did not despise dominion or speak evil of dignitaries. Instead, he recognized that Lucifer had some sort of authority in these matters. Rather than engaging in a fight, he simply said, "The Lord rebuke you."

I find it interesting that often, in certain charismatic circles, you will meet Christians who rebuke Satan, saying, "I rebuke Satan." When I hear someone say that, I often think of this passage of Scripture. Shouldn't we rather say, "The Lord rebuke you"? Our Lord Jesus Christ has the power and authority over Satan. The Scriptures say that man is made a little lower than the angels in authority and rank. Even Lucifer, as a fallen angel, possesses authority, rank, dominion, and power.

When we are confronted with enemies, principalities, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness, we need to recognize that God is the one who is greater. He is in us. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in this world. Therefore, we call on the Lord to rebuke him: "The Lord rebuke you."

There are those who despise dominions and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet, Michael the archangel is an example of one who did not do that; he simply said, "The Lord rebuke you." Jude then returns to these dreamers, these filthy dreamers who defile the flesh. They speak evil of those things which they do not know. They speak ill of principalities, powers, dominions, and rulers, but they lack understanding. They are ignorant and do not comprehend what they are talking about.

I think that there are people within the body of Christ who try to fight with spiritual beings, yet they don't really have a knowledge or understanding of what they're doing. He said, "These evil ones speak evil of those things that they do not know. But what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves." They give themselves over to defiling their flesh constantly and continuously.

What is the word against them? In verse 11, the first word is "Woe unto them." How terrible it will be for them! They face certain destruction, just as God destroyed the men and women of Sodom and Gomorrah. He has reserved in everlasting chains these angels that fell from their estate. Just as He judged His own people, the children of Israel, who came out of Egypt and did not remain faithful, He says, "Woe unto them."

They have gone in the way of three examples of their sins: in the way of Cain, ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. He uses three more examples from the Old Testament about sin. We know the sin of Cain from the book of Genesis. There, we see that after he had brought a sacrifice to the Lord, a sacrifice that was not accepted, his brother Abel brought a sacrifice that was accepted. Cain was angry and upset, so he rose up against his brother and killed Abel. The Lord came to Cain and asked him, "Where is your brother?" What was his answer? "Am I my brother's keeper?" He was a selfish man.

In Cain, we see the sin of selfishness. Not only do we read of Cain here, but we also read of Balaam. The story of Balaam is twofold and can be found in the book of Numbers. One of the kings of the east, from Moab, desired that Balaam, who seems to be something of a prophet, would come and curse the children of Israel as they were traveling through the wilderness. He went to do it. Why did he go to do it? He wanted money. He was doing it for reward, as we read here. He was a covetous man.

We see that for reward, he went and did something that was against what God had called him to do. The Lord withstood him and tried to stop him from doing this. Ultimately, he trained the king of Moab how to cause God to curse the children of Israel by seducing them into sin.

And so again, he's one of these people who teaches false teachings; Balaam does. We see in Cain the sin of selfishness, in Balaam the sin of covetousness, and then we read of Korah. Korah was a chief man among the children of Israel. The sons of Korah tried to cast off the authority of Moses and Aaron. They wanted to be the leaders in the nation, as described in the Book of Numbers. They were rebellious.

We see in the sin of Cain selfishness, in the sin of Balaam covetousness, and in the sons of Korah rebelliousness. These are the three sins that he identifies as being present in the false teachers who were coming into the church. He says in verse 12 that these are spots in your love feasts. When they feast with you, they are feeding themselves without fear.

The first thing he says is that these are spots in your love feasts. What was a love feast? It was like a potluck. I think "love feast" is a much better term than "potluck." I don't even really know what "potluck" means; it's kind of an awkward term. But love feasts were gatherings where the early church would come together to commune and have meals together. These wicked teachers would come in, men who looked like believers on the outside but lived lascivious lives, following after the desires of their flesh.

Jude says that they are spots in your love feasts when they feast with you. They come in, and it's like a blemish right in the middle of this great love feast. Why? Because they are focused on themselves. They are selfish, covetous, and rebellious. They enter an environment that is supposed to be surrounded by love, agape. Agape is a selfless kind of love. Yet these people come in wanting to take whatever they can. They are a bunch of takers.

Not only does he say there are spots in your love feasts, but he also says they are clouds without water. What good is a cloud without water? You know, you ever notice that we live in a very dry land here in Southern California? It seems like we're constantly under drought conditions. Yet every July and August, we get these unbelievable formations of clouds out in the east. These beautiful, huge clouds are amazing to watch, and you can see them blow up thousands of feet into the air.

And yet, they don't do anything. It's like, what a waste of a cloud—clouds without water. When they do come down, they drop a few big drops of water, and that's about it. They don't really do a thing. They're clouds without water; there's no benefit to them.

The same thing applies to these filthy dreamers that came into the church. They are non-beneficial. They're waterless clouds. Not only are they waterless clouds carried about by winds, but they're also trees whose fruit is without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. So, they are fruitless trees. What good is a fruitless tree? About as much as a waterless cloud.

Remember Jesus in the Gospel of Luke when He came to that fig tree as He was getting ready to go into Jerusalem during the week of His passion? He saw this great tree with all these leaves, but when He came up to it, what was not on the tree? Figs. So, He cursed the tree. They went into the city, and when they returned, the tree had shriveled up; it had withered. The disciples were amazed by it, but there was no fruit.

These filthy dreamers are fruitless trees, which means they haven't spent any time in the Word of God. The Bible says in Psalm 1 that those who meditate on the Word of God day and night shall be like trees planted by rivers of water that bring forth their fruit in season. These individuals do not have the Word of God; they have not meditated on it.

This is interesting in the context of clouds without water. In Isaiah 55, Isaiah says that as the clouds go forth and bring water to the earth, they water the earth, and the earth brings forth plants, which in turn bring forth food for the eater. In the same way, God says in Isaiah 55, "So shall My Word go forth, and it shall not return void." His Word, in that illustration, is like the water that comes down upon the earth in the form of rain. But these men are like clouds without water; they do not have the Word of God. They are trees without fruit because they have not meditated on the Word of God.

Verse 13 says they are raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are waterless clouds, fruitless trees, directionless waves—there's no point to them at all. Fourthly, it says they are like wandering stars. Wandering stars. What did the ancient peoples use the stars for?

Direction. They used them to direct them. A wandering star is a pointless star; you can't use it to guide you. Some of your translations might read this as a shooting star, but there was also the concept of a wandering star. In astronomy, a wandering star is often a planet. It changes its position all the time, making it unreliable for navigation. These wicked men are like wandering stars; they are pointless and cannot guide you in the right direction. These false teachers are described as waterless clouds, fruitless trees, directionless waves, and pointless stars.

What is their end? To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever? They will be judged. With that understanding that these people will be judged, what ought we to do? Paul tells us in his letter to Timothy that we are to stay away from them and not identify with them. Notice what he says is going to happen in verse 14. He references the term "ungodly" multiple times in that one verse. He also references an extra-biblical book, the Book of Enoch, which states that God is going to return with ten thousands of His saints. When He comes, He will execute judgment upon all. He will convict all who are ungodly among them, convicting them of their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly manner, and of all their hard speeches that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

So, God is going to come and judge the ungodly. The prophet Enoch, whom we sometimes do not think of as a prophet, was the one in the Book of Genesis, chapter 5, who walked with God for 300 years and was not, for God took him. He was literally a prophet. Who was Enoch's son? Methuselah. Methuselah's name meant "when he dies, judgment." He died in the 600th year of Noah. What happened in the 600th year of Noah? The flood came. You see, Enoch was a prophet, and there is this book called the Book of Enoch.

Again, there is some truth mixed with error in the Book of Enoch. One of the truths in the Book of Enoch is that the Lord will come with ten thousands of His saints, and when He comes, He is coming to judge. The first time He came as a lamb to save; the second time He is coming as a lion to judge. And who is He going to judge? Well, what is that word that is repeated four times in verse 15? He is going to judge the ungodly.

So, what would be the application? If He is going to judge the ungodly, I do not want to be anywhere near them. In verse 16, He again uses the word "these" to refer to those mentioned in verse 8. Likewise, these filthy dreamers. In verse 10, it states, "But these speak evil." In verse 12, it says, "These are spots." He goes back to that again: these dreamers. These are murmurers, just like those in the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness. They are complainers, walking after their own lusts and desires. Their mouths speak great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. They are always admiring the positions of other people. They want to have that position of authority, kind of like Simon the magician in Acts chapter 8. He just wanted the power of the position of an apostle.

So, he describes these wicked men as murmurers and complainers. They follow after the lusts of their desires and speak great swelling words that are empty. They are clouds without water.

In verse 17, it says, "But beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ." They told you that such mockers would come in the last time. He says to remember that all the apostles warned you that these wicked men would come in the last days. Do not be blown away when these individuals come into the church because you have already been forewarned.

Be aware that they would come in the last time and would walk after their own ungodly desires or lusts. These are they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. These are the ones trying to have their own little crowd, their own little group, and they do not have the Spirit of God. They are given over to just sensual pleasures.

But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Notice what he focuses their attention on, just as so many of the other New Testament writers did. He says to build yourselves up in the most holy faith. Keep yourselves in the love of God and look for the return of the Lord. He talks about faith, love, and hope. Stay strong. Be built up and mature in faith and love, looking expectantly for the coming of the Lord Jesus unto eternal life.

Do not follow after these wicked dreamers, these filthy sinners who come into the church and try to seduce people to their view. They separate themselves and follow after sensuality. They do not have the Spirit of God, but you must stand strong. Be built up in the faith of God. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God.

Some people have taken the verse that says, "Keep yourselves in the love of God," and interpreted it as needing to try to stay with Jesus. However, I want you to think of this in the context of the sun. The sun shines brightly; keep yourself in the sunshine of God. Do not hide yourself like Adam did after he sinned and had to hide from God, so that God had to come looking for him, asking, "Where are you?" Stay in the light. Walk in the light as He is in the light, as we read in 1 John chapter 1.

In verse 22, he says, "And some have compassion, making a difference." In verse 23, he continues, "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." I like the way this reads in another translation. In verse 22, it says, "Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering." There are some who are having a difficult time, and their faith is wavering. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering; that is the first group of people he mentions.

In verse 23, he gives the second group: "Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment." There are others who are not just among the body of Christ and wavering in their faith, but they have gone back out towards the things of this world. He says to go out and rescue them; pull them out of that.

Then there is still another group in verse 23, the third group. There are still others whom you need to show mercy to, but be careful that you are not contaminated by their sins. Some people have departed from the faith and are living it up in their own lifestyle. Sometimes we feel like we need to go try to track that person down.

And yet we get pulled down into their lifestyle instead of pulling them back up into the Lord. He says to have mercy on them, but don't be spotted by their sin. Don't find yourself in the midst of what they're doing. Why? Because God will judge ungodliness.

In verses 24 and 25, which perhaps you've memorized or heard many times in the church, we read: "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." How cool is that? This is Jude's doxology as he praises God, the one who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before His presence. Aren't you glad that you're not the one who has to try to keep yourself from falling away from the Lord?

We are told in Philippians chapter 2, verse 12, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. As I've said many times before, if the chapter ended there, we'd all go away in fear and trembling. But it goes on to say in verse 13, "For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure." I'm so thankful that God is working in me and working in you. As we follow after Him, He is working in us a desire to follow Him and serve Him. Not only does He give us a desire to follow and serve Him, but also the ability to do so and to be pleasing to Him. Glory unto Him who is able to keep us from falling!

Not only that, He is able to present us faultless before His presence. In Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, Paul said, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." He is going to present us faultless before His presence. To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Glory to the only wise God! Our God is the only wise God.

I was teaching through the book of Isaiah at the Bible College this week, and we were in Isaiah chapter 44. In this chapter, God talks about the foolishness and stupidity of idolatry—following after false gods. Notice what He says in verse 9 of Isaiah chapter 44: "They that make a graven image are all of them vanity." They are all empty; they are all foolish, basically. Their delectable things shall not profit. The things that they hold in high esteem are not going to profit them.

And they are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know that they may be ashamed. Who has formed a god or molten graven image that is profitable for nothing? Who is this person that does this foolish thing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed. All those who follow after such things are going to be ashamed. The workmen there are of men. Let them all be gathered together. Let them stand up. Yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

The smith with the tongs both works in the coals and fashions it with the hammers, working it with the strength of his arms. Yes, he is hungry, and his strength fails. He drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches out his rule and makes it out with a line. He fits it with planes, marks it out with the compass, and makes it after the figure of a man according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in this house.

So, he is talking about these workmen going and building themselves these false gods. He hews down the cedars and takes the cypress and the oak, which he strengthens for himself among the trees in the forest. He plants an ash, and the rain nourishes it. Then shall it be for a man to burn, and he will take thereof and warm himself. Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread. He makes a god, worships it, and makes it a graven image, falling down before it. He burns part of it with the fire, and part thereof he eats flesh, roasting a roast and being satisfied. Yes, he warms himself and says, "Ah, I am warm. I have seen the fire."

The residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image, and he falls down unto it, worships it, and prays unto it, saying, "Deliver me, for you are my God." Notice what God is saying here. How stupid is this? A man goes out into the woods and looks around at all the trees. He sees the cypress, the oak, and cedar, and finds himself a strong tree. Oh, there's the one I want. He cuts it down with the strength of his arm.

He takes a piece of it, and being hungry and cold, he makes himself a fire with part of that tree. He burns this fire, which makes him warm, and then he cooks his bread on it and eats. He is full, happy, and warm. Then he takes the rest of the tree and makes it into an image of God. He bows down to it and worships it as his God. How stupid is this? The foolishness of idolatry.

The Bible says twice in the Psalms that the gods of this earth are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. Mouths they have, but they cannot speak. Eyes they have, but they cannot see.

Hands they have, but they cannot handle. The psalmist goes on to say that those who make them are like them; they become deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid. Those who make them and bow down to these things are just like the false, foolish gods of the world. Yet we serve the only wise God. Not only is He the only wise God, but He is our Savior. Verse 25 says He has redeemed us.

In Jeremiah chapter 2, God speaks to His people, saying, "As a thief is ashamed when he is found, so are my people ashamed." He points out that as many as their cities are, so are their gods. They have just as many gods as they have cities in their nation. Yet, in times of trouble, they call out to Him. Whenever they come to an impasse or face a difficult situation, they call out to God. All the rest of the time, they worship their false gods. But when they encounter trouble, they turn to Him. God challenges the people, saying, "Turn to your false gods. Ask them for help. Why are you coming to me?"

So often, this is the case with humanity. People build for themselves all these false gods and trust in them. They trust in their finances, their jobs, their intellect, their cars, and their houses. But when they lose their health or their finances, they go to church and pray. Oftentimes, I think God would say, "Where are your gods that you should trust in them?" How great it is that we can be those who trust in the Lord at all times, with His praise continually in our mouths. To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty. We should not bring glory and majesty to anything else but Him. He should be the one who has rule, authority, and power over our lives.

In contrast, these false dreamers, these clouds without water, these trees without fruit, and these spots in our love feasts think themselves to be power, glory, and dominion. But God says, "Not so." The book of Jude, though just 25 verses long, is very important. We are living in days similar to those of Jude, where seductive false heresies have infiltrated the church.

That have deceived people. Although they are deceived, the Bible declares that they will be judged. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. In a few weeks, we will get to the book of Revelation, where we will see the wrath of God being poured out upon all unrighteousness and ungodliness. The book of Revelation is a fearful book, especially for the individual who has not turned to the Lord. All of that wrath and judgment is appointed to them, the ungodly and the unrighteous.

But thanks be to God who has saved us. By His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, He has saved us. As 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says, we are not appointed under wrath. We will not abide under the wrath of God. He has redeemed us; He has saved us. There are those whose faith is wavering, and we come alongside them to show mercy and strengthen them in the Lord.

There are also those who have gone back out into the things of this world, and we should snatch them out, rescuing others from the flames of judgment. Yet, there are still others to whom we show mercy. However, like these false dreamers, we should beware, for we do not want to be contaminated by their sins. We must not allow bad company to corrupt our good morals and our good walk of life. It is much easier to be pulled down than to pull others up.

I have often seen, especially with those who are younger in their walk with the Lord, how they can be pulled down and back into the slew of despond, into the things of this world. Beware. Draw as close to the Lord as you can. Stand strong with Him. Contend for the faith.

Thank the Lord. Amen? Let's stand together. Amen.

Lord Jesus, we do thank You tonight that You have redeemed us and saved us, not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with Your precious blood. You bought us, and we are Yours. I pray that we would recognize Your dominion, Your rule, and authority over our lives, and allow You to rule and reign in our lives.

Lord, as we study through Your Word and learn more about who You are and how You work, I pray that You would stir in us, by Your Word and by Your Spirit, that desire to lay our lives down as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto You, which is our reasonable act of worship and service.

I ask, Lord, that You would continue to preserve us and keep us from falling. We know that one day You will present us faultless before Your presence. We look forward to that day. Come, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.