Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

Jude Part 3- Jude 1:5-16 “” 

REVIEW> – Christians are called to contend for the faith. 

• We must contemplate the Gospel before we can contend for the Gospel. 

• Christians are called to contend the Gospel with Compassion and Conviction. 

INTRO> I recently, like many of you, was watching the news and heard for the first time, the name “East Palenstine, Ohio” At around 9pm, a train derailed in the small town of around 4,700 people. 38 cars derailed, coming off the track, causing massive damage and most importantly caused a fire with flames shooting as high at 50ft in the air. The train was carrying highly dangerous chemicals and has now caused that the town be evacuated. The chemicals are so dangerous that have spilled out onto the ground that this train derailing could cause serious harm to about 50,000 people in the surrounding area. What was the cause? The investigation is still on going but from videos, the investigators said that it appears that a wheel got too hot, melted and derailed the train. Literally 50,000 people are at risk because of a bolt, nut and washer malfunction. 

Big Idea > Christians are called to avoid Apostasy at all cost.

Defining our terms: 

• “A backsliding Christian” refers to a momentary lapse in a Christian’s faith journey. (Think Peter denying Christ) 

• “A Carnal Christian” refers to giving in to the flesh and indulging ones sensual appetites for a moment. (See 1st and 2nd Corinthians)

• “An Apostate” refers to the willful act of distorting and denying the faith. “Apostasy is the willful return to ungodliness” – G. Campbell Morgan

• But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7

3 Reminders of God’s past judgment:

• God’s judgment is total. v5 – This story is found in Numbers 14. God (Jesus) saves the people out of slavery but they still want to choose the slavery of sin. God’s judgment was total on those age 20yrs and older don’t enter the promise land. 

• God’s judgment is timely. v6 This is found in 2 Peter 2:4. Angels fell from Grace because they didn’t stay in their created order and they are in bondage, on a leash until Revelation 21’s great judgment. 

• God’s judgment is terrible.v7 This is the story found in Genesis 19 when an entire city had fallen into corruption and sexual sin. The word “sexual immorality” that Jude uses here means “to indulge in excessive immorality and sexual sin” anything outside of God’s design for marriage in Genesis 1-2, this was their way of life. 

APP> God’s past judgments are a reminder of his future judgment on sin. “No one can read these verses without clearly seeing God’s hatred for sin and, at the same time, his patience and willingness to postpone judgment.” Warren Wiersbe “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:3-5

4 Characteristics of every Cult: 

• They reject authority. v8-9 “defile the flesh and reject authority” but notice what he says first, “relying on their dreams” Ah.. here it is. They don’t submit to authority they want to be in authority and their qualification is that they have “special knowledge” and only them. Michale is used here as a positive example, he used the authority of Jesus. 

• They rely on feelings. v10 “unreasoning animals” 

• They reveal hypocrisy v11-3 Jude here give 6 illustrations “hidden reefs” “selfish Shepard’s” “waterless clouds” “fruitless trees” “wild waves” “wandering stars” 

• They return to ungodliness. v14-16 Jude uses the word ungodly 4x… I want you to notice the last verse “following their own sinful desires” bingo yahtzee! 

Big Idea > Christians are called to avoid Apostasy at all cost.

Application: 

•  Do we love and know the good news of Jesus enough to recognize any distortion of it? 

•  We watch for Apostates entering our homes but how much apostasy as entered our hearts? 

*ILL> C.S. Lewis wrote a book called “The screw tape letters” it is a fictional account of a young demon, wormwood, who is getting trained by an older demon Screwtape on how to tempt people, here is what Screwtape says: 

“All the healthy and out-going activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at least he may say, as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, ‘I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.’ The Christians describe the Enemy as one ‘without whom Nothing is strong’. And Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man’s best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why. …It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.” Screw tape concludes…“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”