Lesson 5

Jude

Maintaining the Faith Entrusted to Us

 

Review:

1:4 The Problem Described

"For certain persons have crept in unnoticed"

 

Where was discernment?

 

 

"those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation,"

 

Basic Prin:  These false teachers, having rejected truth, having rejected Christ they were under judgment, condemnation.

 

In context Jude is saying that they were written about before, long before with reference to this judgment, should not be surprised.

 

 

 

  Nature or characteristics of these F/T's, the great pretenders.

 

1st Characteristic  "ungodly persons"    avsebh,j

 

 

2nd Characteristic  "who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness"  

 

 

They're exchanging the grace of our God for licentiousness.

- licentiousness  =   avse,lgeia;  pattern of unrestrained, uncontrolled living, no limits; common pattern of F/T's OSN rules; 2 Pet. 2:2;

 

 

3rd characteristic  "and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." 

- uniqueness of Jesus Christ,  have a false Christology

 

 

Summary Observations:

1. Jude gives us here the reason for struggling earnestly for the faith, (present tense) will be ongoing throughout our life.

 

 

2. Maintaining the purity of the faith within ourselves and the local church is an ongoing, never ending responsibility because F/T's are always out there and increasingly within the church.        This was true in Jude's day but even more so today.

 

 

3. Often these F/T's enter under false pretenses, masquerading as a Christian [as religious types, using Christian terms with differing meanings] to gain the confidence of unsuspecting believers. 

 

 

4. Why unsuspecting?? People are not using any discernment.  This is Jude's objective, heighten awareness and alertness to this potentially devastating problem. 

 

 

5. F/T's don't rise in a vacuum. People themselves are a part of setting the environment in which F/T's and their errors flourish.  Isa. 30:9-11;  Jer 5:30-31;  2 Tim. 4:3-4

 

 

6. Warning given in form of prophecy: 3x's Jesus, Matt. 7:15;  Paul, Acts 20:29; Peter, 2 Pet. 2:1-2

 

 

7. Modus operendi: Since they operate under stealth, disguise that is crafty, & sneaky, they are not going to openly reject the Bible as worthless, having no value. [although that's their belief]

 

 

8. Over time they will attempt to establish a reinterpretation of the teaching of the Word to fit their own conclusions, false teaching.

JW's NWT:  In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.   [JW's also 8:58 'I have been']

 

 

9. Things to be on guard for:

- rejection of Biblical Christology; Who is Jesus? Rem. 1&2 John

- reject inerrancy and authority of Scripture [unless they can use a part to promote their viewpoint]

- reject miracles;  too educated, too sophisticated [problem is an erroneous view of God]

- reject divine intervention into human history or divine judgment as a consequence for failure to measure up to the divine +R std.

 

 

10. False teachers tend to be very adept at perverting grace into license using high sounding elaborate arguments. 2 Pet. 2:18

 

11. They deny Christ's uniqueness, the only [monoj] master [despothj] not His existence.  [false Christology]

 

 

12. Know that God does not deal lightly with those who distort His truth or teach contrary to His Word.   Heb. 10:29-31

 

 

 

In vs: 5-7 Jude warns His readers  of the peril of apostasy, rebellion against God by citing 3 historical examples and pointing out the  reality of the Judgment of God.

 

1:5  1st Example  Exodus Generous

 

Now I desire to remind you

 

 

 

though you know all things once for all,

 

 

 

 

that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt,

 

 

 

 

subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

 

 

 

 

Observations: 1:5

1. This first example that we need to be on guard for is that of believer's walking away from truth; in essence rebellion against God.

 

 

2. The Exodus generation experienced a great display of God's grace and power in delivering them from slavery in Egypt.

 

 

3. They knew and recognized from where their deliverance came. Exodus 15

 

 

4. The sequence:  #1 they were redeemed and delivered (Passover);

   #2 they failed to believe/apply BD in their life;     #3 they were judged.

 

 

5. Between the Exodus and Kadesh Barnea [Num. 13-14] the issue for this generation was their MA toward, the Word of God given them, the promises made by God.  [13:1-2]

 

 

6. Jude's warning here to us is, Remember the Israelites!!  [example for our instruction] Point is that negative volition to God and His word has consequences

 

 

7. This whole context is exhortation to us not to follow this pattern of rejection of grace, rejection of truth with its consequence of judgment.