Transcript
Meet new friends and know that you're being a part of something that's going to be bigger than yourself. And so this Wednesday is our first Wednesday meeting. It's going to be in this room and the subject is going to be our ministry teams. And so if you were wondering, how can I serve the Lord here, come on Wednesday night and find out. And so there's my pitch for Wednesday.
How'd I do? How'd I do, Sheila? Was that good? Okay, I get another shot at 11am to make that even better. My name is Trevor Davis, I'm GCC's pastor.
And I'm really thrilled to tell you that we start a new sermon series today, verse by verse through the Letter of Jude, which is the next to the last book of the Bible. So you just open your Bible, take a far right, go all the way over there to kind of Republicanville, the right side of your Bible, you get that. And if you get to Revelation, you've gone like a little bit too far. And Jude has 25 verses. So it might only be on one page of your Bible or maybe it splits two, but you can miss it.
So find Jude, the letter of Jude. And today we're gonna start a five week series. It's only gonna take us five Sundays to teach through every verse of this letter. And I've titled the series the Acts of the Apostates. Now, the book of Acts in your Bible is often called the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
And Jude is going to outline for us the characteristics and what it looks like for people who have a said faith, but they don't have a real faith and they eventually fall away. And so it's a big warning. So we're gonna have five weeks in this, and today is gonna be verses one through four. And I've called this message, stand and fight for the faith. So let's pray together and we'll get started.
Father, would you open the hearts and the minds of the believers in the room as we look over the word of God in our lap or on our device and we say, God, what is the Truth. And what is it that you want us to know and what is it that you want us to do? Holy Spirit, meet with us in Jesus name. Everybody said, okay, who's fired up today? It's February, right?
And so I heard that the groundhog saw his shadow. And so in Pennsylvania, they're gonna have six more weeks of winter. But I hope that we don't. Amen. I don't even think we have groundhogs in Mississippi.
And I'm glad. But it is a new month. And this month is gonna fly by just like the last one. And so you gotta live on purpose. You gotta be ready.
I wanna ask you a question. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to fight? And I don't mean fight with fists or weapons. I mean fight with unwavering conviction to protect something precious. Might be your family or your reputation.
We fight for those things. And it might even be your faith. You've had to do that. Well, today we're diving into the short, powerful letter of Jude. And it is a call to arms for every believer.
Jude challenges us to stand and fight. But it's stand and fight, not in anger. It's stand and fight, stand and fight, in truth and with love. And it's stand and fight, with truth and with love for the faith that's been entrusted to us. So this isn't about picking battles over opinions.
It's about safeguarding the core truths of the gospel and safeguarding it from distortion and safeguarding it from deceit. So together, let's be reminded of a few things. Let's be reminded of who we are. Let's be reminded of what we are up against. And let's be reminded of how we're called to respond to all of that.
There are only four verses. I'm going to outline those four verses in three questions. Question number one, if you ready, say yes. That wasn't the question. The question is whose letter?
Whose letter is this? Here's verses 1 and 2. Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ, mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you. Whose letter is this? Well, who's the author?
The author identifies himself as a guy named Jude. If you were wondering, that really is the Greek word for Judas, but there are lots of Judases in the first century Israel and even in your New Testament. So the traitor of Jesus is always identified as Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. But this is Jude, and he Calls himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. Don't race past that because there's insight there.
Did you know that you can learn a great deal about a man by listening to what he has to say about himself?
Jude here makes two significant claims. Number one, he says he's a bond servant of Jesus Christ. That's what he leads with. That's the first batter in the lineup. I'm a bond servant of Jesus Christ.
You know what I love about that? Jude starts with, I am someone everybody else can be. Bondservant is the word doulos. It means slave. It means personal attendant.
It means somebody who is in the service of a master. Jude starts and says, I just want everybody to know who I belong to and who has the control of my life. I'm a bond servant of Jesus. And you can be a bond servant of Jesus, too. This is Jude's humility.
He starts with something everybody can be. And then he says, and a brother of James. And that's important that he mentioned it. And it's important that he mentioned it. Second, because this is Jude's unique status, everybody can be a bond servant of Jesus, but not everybody can be James brother.
And. And James is the first pastor of the first church in the New Testament. In the Bible. He had the oversight over the Jerusalem church. So if a bond servant of Jesus Christ is Jude's humility when he says he's a brother of James, this is Jude's credibility.
He's related to somebody important. It's interesting to me. The most important person he's related to, he doesn't say, yeah, Jesus is my big brother. But if you didn't know that James and Jude are the half brothers of Jesus, they have the same mom, Mary. This is a humble guy.
He doesn't pull rank. He doesn't say if anybody was wondering if I'm a big deal. Jesus is my brother. No, he said, jesus is my Lord and my master. That's who the author is.
Who's his audience? Remember, we're answering the question, whose letter? Letters have an author and an audience. Who's his audience? His audience is believers.
They're Christians. And listen to me. Believers are uniquely graced. You have something that unbelievers don't have. And it is a precious commodity that cannot be bought or sold.
It has to be given by God. You're uniquely graced. And Jude outlines this unique gracing. Believers that are uniquely graced. He says, how do I say it in my notes?
He says, here's what they already are. And then he says, here's what they may receive, what they already are and what they may receive. The rest of the verse says, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you. What are they already? Jude says you're called.
You know what that means? Called? That means you've been singled out by the Holy Spirit's sovereign call to saving faith. And that happened in the past. You know you were called by God before you ever came to be.
There was a heavenly call on your life. Heaven was calling to you to believe in Jesus and become a part of the family of God before you ever were. The past. Then they. What they already are is they're sanctified.
It says, sanctified by God the Father. This is the present work of the Father in the life of a Christian. And it sets them apart to holiness right now. Sanctified. And then number three, what they already are is preserved.
They're preserved in Jesus Christ. Do you know what that means? That means that you as a believer are kept by Jesus for the next world. Hey, you're going to get there. Because Jesus keeps what we commit to him.
And if you've committed your life to Jesus, he keeps your life. And that means that there's a next world for you that includes the glory of God, the presence of the saints, all those believers that you know that were part of your family that have died and are with the Lord. You get to be reunited with them because. Because Jesus is keeping you for it. Uniquely graced.
Well, that's what they already are. But here's what they may receive. He says mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you. What Christians that Jude is writing to may get what they may receive because he's praying for it, number one. They may receive mercy.
Hey, did you know that mercy looks upward? Mercy looks up because that's where God's compassion on habitual sinners comes from. God looks down, we look up, and he gives us the mercy that is required for those who continually offend Him. Mercy looks upward. The second thing they may receive is peace.
And peace looks inward. It looks on the inside of us. Because when God gives you peace, it's providing you rest in Christ. And in Jude's case, the people that he's writing to, they are surrounded by people that confess faith in Christ and they're falling away and their lives are beginning to be shaken. You mean that guy that prayed with me at church no longer believes in Jesus and doesn't belong to the church anymore.
That lady that taught me the Bible has walked away and dove into the the deep end of the cesspool of sin and doesn't care about Jesus. What's happening? My world feels like it's falling apart. No peace from Jesus. Peace looks inward.
Mercy looks upward. Peace looks inward. And then love. Mercy, peace and love. Love looks outward.
And when God fills you with his love, you distribute his grace to those around you. You know you can't be good to others apart from the love of God. Mercy looks upward, peace looks inward. Love looks outward. That's whose letter it is.
How do we do on the first two verses? Everybody good? All right, question number two. What motivated Jude to write? Why do we have a letter with 25 verses next to the last book of the Bible?
Why is it even in there? What motivated you to write? He answers that question in verse three. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Have you heard this verse before?
Contend for the faith. You know, in verse three, Jude mentions two letters. Did you catch that? He mentions first the letter that he wanted to write. I call it his oh yeah letter.
He wanted to write originally about what he calls our common salvation. Jude wanted to have a party time in his letter of rejoicing and good feels and pats on the back and. And can you believe what God's done for us? He wanted to write to these believers who have had their faith shaken. And he wanted to say, I wanted to remind you just how awesome it is to be saved.
It means that we get to go to heaven when we die. It means that we miss the wrath of God and we make the glory of God. It means that all those believers that you know that have already died, you haven't seen the last of them. There's going to be a family reunion one day. I wanted to write to you about this idea that even though your life is going to end, even if you live to be 95 years old, that's a drop in the bucket for eternity and forever.
You get to live in a place where Jesus is king and there is no sin in the next world, in the new heavens, in the new earth. I wanted to write to you about that. It was going to be holy high fives all around. That was his oh yeah letter. But there's a second letter that he mentions in Jude 3.
It's the letter that Jude was compelled to write. He said, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend for the faith. I call this his oh, letter. Jude was provoked to write a letter with a heavier tone, a more serious letter, sober in essence. I get the sense that Jude is saying, although it's an unwelcome task, I felt I had to write this to you.
And what was his main exhortation? Contend earnestly for the faith. Let's talk about that phrase. First of all, what's the word contend mean? In the original language, the word contend means something like to struggle to the point of agony if necessary.
The word is agonizomai. We get our word agonized from means to struggle to the point where everything feels bad. It's the cost of being unfashionable in a fashionable world. Those who contend earnestly for the faith are going to be out of step with the culture.
Look, I don't care what the number one hit song in America is. You want to know why? Because I've been reading the lyrics of them.
I don't care who the great actors are, and I don't care who wins the Oscar or gets the Grammy. It shouldn't matter to you what unsaved heathens pat themselves on the back for, because those who are in the real fight, who are contending for the faith, this is an athletic term. It's a. It's a military word of intense effort and perseverance. When Jude says contend for the faith, to contend is not to passively play defense.
It's not to build a fence and a gate around your church and say, look, we're gonna gather here and remind everybody, and we're gonna huddle up and we're gonna pat each other on the back, and then we're gonna go back home and not make any waves and hope nobody looks at us. That's playing defense. And that's not what this word means. Instead, it's an offensive onslaught. You don't do this just once.
Contend earnestly for the faith is an instruction from heaven that will last for the rest of your life here on earth. If you know the Lord Jesus, there is no expiration date except the return of Christ or your death. It's an ongoing wrestling match. Paul wrote in Ephesians, chapter six, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities in the heavenly realms. Contend earnestly.
And then he says, for the faith. What is the faith? It has the Definite article. So it's like it's not just contend earnestly for faith. It's not make sure you fight for religious freedom.
Although that's good. That's not what's in my what is the faith we need to know? We need it defined for us. Jude means by the faith those things which we believe rather than the fact that we believe them. It's not fighting for people's ability to have faith.
It's fighting for something specific. In fact, it's fighting to safeguard and to declare that collection of doctrine once delivered to the saints by the apostles. In Acts chapter 2, verse 42, the early church was committed to the apostles teaching to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. What in the world is the apostles teaching? Well, let me tell you what it isn't.
The apostles teaching isn't feed all the hungry. By the way we do that, we feed a lot of bellies every time the sun rises. Our money and our resources go around the world and feed hungry people. The faith of the apostles that they delivered to us is not man. You know what?
Learn how to be a good person. There's only ever been one good person who walked on planet earth and they crucified him. Isn't that true? Now I'm not saying that you'll never be good. I'm saying that you get the Holy Spirit when you get saved.
And if you know the Lord, you're better off than you were. But there's nothing intrinsic of value in us that that God would want us. Isn't that true? But what the apostles did teach is that man is separated from God. Man is in the crosshairs of God's wrath, mankind is sinful and rebellious against God.
And that's bad news. And without the bad news, the good news won't make sense. But the good news is that God really does love you. And he demonstrated it by sending his one and only son to die in your place. Die the death that you die deserve.
So that if you believe on him and repent, you can become one of God's children. Part of what the apostles taught was that Jesus is actually God. I wonder if you believe that. They also taught Jesus born of a virgin, no sin nature in him. I wonder if you believe that.
They also believe that after Jesus died, they also taught that after Jesus died on the cross on the third day, Jesus conquered death and walked out of his tomb alive. I wonder if you believe that because if you don't, you don't even know the faith you're supposed to contend for.
The faith is non negotiable and it is unchanging. And if we feed on it, we're nourished. And if we reject it, we're destroyed. That's how serious this is. This is why this is Jude's oh letter.
Pastor Charles Spurgeon wrote, the doctrines of grace are to be contended for not with sword and shield, but with truth and love. So that's what motivated Jude to write. That's question number two. Last question of the day. What is an apostate?
This whole letter, we're going to be talking about apostasy and apostates. Those who have fallen away, those who've walked away. And Jude in verse 4, begins to describe apostates, and he doesn't finish it. In verse four, there's 21 more verses. He's going to say a lot about this.
What is an apostate? Verse 4. For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation. Ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Can we agree that's a very serious verse?
Jude warns of the danger posed by false teachers who exploit the church from the inside. They crept in. That phrase crept in is sinister and it's secretive. And it happened and nobody noticed, according to the letter of Jude. Let me just summarize this.
An apostate is someone who rejects God's authority, distorts his grace, lives immorally, lacks the Holy Spirit, deceives others and causes divisions. I know you didn't get all that down. I'll give you my notes if you ask for them. These apostates mock the truth, and we learn that they're destined for judgment. And in Jude 4, there are four characteristics of them.
So here's the notes I want you to take. The characteristics of an apostate from Jude 4. Number one. They are marked out for judgment. The verse says, these men or women who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, they're not getting away with this.
Their judgment is certain. The Scriptures condemn them. That's why we can say. That's why Jew can say they were long ago marked out for this condemnation. I think he's referring to the judgments against false teachers and false shepherds in the major prophets in the Old Testament.
And what we learn from who long ago were marked out for this condemnation is that my brothers and my sisters, God's adversaries will not triumph. He will dispose of them. He may not do it on a timeline that we like, but Everyone faces him at the judgment seat. Second Peter 2:1 is a parallel verse. In fact, if you go buy a Bible commentary on the book of Jude, it's probably going to contain a commentary on second Peter.
They're connected somehow, but there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly. There's that word that connects to they crept in unnoticed who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Those are false teachings that destroy people, even denying the Lord who bought them. There are organizations popping up in America and unfortunately we're exporting it around the world that call themselves churches and never talk about Jesus and bring on themselves swift destruction. My brothers and my sisters, the Lord will hold no one guiltless who seeks to destroy his church, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation.
That's the first characteristic of an apostate in Jude 4, marked out for judgment. He here's the second. Ungodly Jude calls them ungodly men. And what is the ungodliness of an apostate? Like there's no place for God in their lives.
But they still talk about religion. They not only have no place for God in their lives, they're irreverent about it. These are men and women that say you can have a form of the Christian faith and it doesn't change the way you talk. You can have an edge to you, you can still be mean to people that are mean to you. It's just basically the opposite of the Sermon on the Mount.
They are morally corrupt and here's the most interesting part about it. They can't hide it.
Paul wrote about men like these and he put just in three verses, a bank of their characteristics. I want to read them for us. Second Timothy 3, 2, 5. In the last days this is what the ungodly look like. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers without self control, brutal despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
Head having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. Unfortunately, in our culture people don't turn away from men and women like this. Our six and seven and eight, nine year old girls go to her concerts, we watch them at the movies and we. We download their music and we buy their brands and we wear their clothes.
From such men turn away and the compromise Church in America says from such men and women, run to them and be like them. Oh, it's time somebody preached about ungodliness. Ungodly men, church. Let me ask you something. How much is your faith worth to you?
Would you trade it for a moment of pleasure? Is there a woman you could bed down that you would go, I'd trade Jesus for her. Would you trade your faith for a temporary gain? What if your boss said to you, if you'll renounce your Christian faith, I'll give you the top position in your career for the next 10 years? Would you do it?
Would you trade Jesus for a fleeting satisfaction? Why are you asking me this, Pastor? Because in the Bible, esau did Hebrews 12, 16, 17. The writer of Hebrews says, lest there be any fornicator or profane person. Profane person.
You can just write ungodly man above that. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food, sold his birthright for. You know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Do you know these verses? Esau was a man who traded the eternal for the immediate.
He sold his birthright. He was the firstborn son. He sold his birthright, his God given privilege, his special grace for a bowl of stew. Friends, that wasn't just a bad bargain that revealed his heart.
Do you understand that? Esau despised what was holy. He treated the blessings of God as a common thing. You can just go get it at Walmart anytime. He was careless with what was sacred.
And later, when he realized what he had lost, it was too late. And his tears could not undo his choices.
And this is where Jude 4 comes in. The false teachers and the ungodly men Jude warns us about are just like Esau. They creep into the church where they treat the grace of God with contempt. To them, the grace of God is no more precious than Esau's birthright was to him. It's just simply a convenient means to a carnal end.
These men reject Christ's authority, just as Esau rejected the weight of his inheritance. So the question is, have we, maybe even inadvertently, have we wandered into Esau territory in our private lives where we've abandoned the spiritual disciplines? Do you know what the spiritual disciplines are? It's private, personal, secret prayer. It's reading of your Bible when no one else is around to feed your spirit.
It's giving to the Lord to show that he's first place. It's evangelizing sinners and telling them of the hope that's in you. The spiritual disciplines, when they go, Esau comes riding in. Are we so focused on satisfying temporary desires that we neglect the eternal?
Are we treating God's grace as something we can trade on like the false teachers that Jude describes? Listen to me very carefully. Esau's story is a warning. Let's refuse the godlessness of Esau. Let's treasure what lasts forever.
Let's fight for the faith rather than trade it away for something that doesn't last.
God. Ungodly men.
Now, the fourth final characteristic of an apostate in Jude 4. Excuse me. The third one. Number three. Abusing Grace.
Who turned the grace of our God into lewdness. The verse says, does the word lewdness mean anything to you? Doesn't sound good, does it? Sounds naughty. Well, here's how it's translated into other English versions.
See if this helps. Licentiousness. Anybody use that word? Last week that didn't help. Another one is lasciviousness.
How about that one? Now let me tell you what lewdness means. It's unrestrained vice of a sexual nature. These individuals come into the church and they say, really, I'm going to help you and increase your sex life. These individuals pervert the grace of God.
They turn it into a license to sin. Who turned the grace of our God into lewdness? Frankly, giving into immoral behavior and reckless self indulgence while claiming divine approval. This is what it means. I'm going to do some gross sin and I'm going to tell you that it pleases God.
Abusing grace. It's the spiritual con job that says God is love, so he doesn't care what I do.
Let me give you some modern examples.
You see this in the news on your social media feed all the time. Christian leaders who fall into sexual sin and excuse it. Think of pastors caught in scandals. They've cheated on their wives. They've fleece their congregations out of money, Ponzi schemes.
And then they manipulate the scripture to justify their affairs. They say, God understands my struggles. Don't judge me.
Also, hyper grace theology. Got to be careful of this one. It's preachers who teach that Jesus forgives everything, so repentance is optional. Hey, look, you're once saved, you're always saved. You're good.
And it doesn't really matter how you live because Jesus does all the saving and there's no responsibility on your end. Brothers and sisters. That's a lie.
Preachers who teach that you don't have to repent. They say things like, it's all under the blood, brother. So what if I mess up?
Here's another one, man. We help people that have been wounded by this one. The prosperity gospel and word of faith. Those who use God's blessings as excuse for excess materialism. They say things like, I'm rich because I'm anointed.
And don't you touch the Lord's anointed. If you ever hear a preacher or a leader say that, find a new place to worship. Or they say, I'm rich because I'm blessed. You're not because you don't have enough faith. Man, that is devilish and wrong.
Here's a big one. LGBTQ affirming churches that erase biblical ethics. They're usually led by women. Isn't that true? Or homosexuals.
And they're not led by God called men. They say things like, love wins. Nobody's going to hell. God forgives everybody. It's going to be all right in the end.
They say, God made me this way so I can sleep with whoever I want to. And they ignore Romans 1:26 and 27. Might as well just go ahead and read it.
Let me ask you a question. Does God stutter? Is he unclear?
Let's see. Romans 1:26, 27. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also, the men leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another. Men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due.
Was God unclear on that?
That's abusing the grace of God. To tell someone who is living in rebellion to him that they're okay. That is unloving. And lastly, Christians defending debauchery and pop culture. I've mentioned this a couple times already.
Look, Pastor, it's just entertainment. I just like the beat of the music. When people tell me they just like the beat, I go, you know, there's lots of instrumental music. Don't have any lyrics if you just like the beat. I was at an NBA game in Memphis.
I have a side job there. And. And they have a dance team. I don't look, but I listen. And I was listening to this song, and I was like, this song has a pretty good hook.
And they danced for like maybe 30 seconds. And I couldn't understand the lyrics. So I googled the lyrics of the song because you Got little girls dressed up like these dancers in the crowd saying, one of these days I want to be like them. And when I looked up the lyrics to this song that they danced to just a couple of weeks ago, it was the most vulgar, dirtiest. I couldn't even read it out loud to my wife.
Lyrics that I've ever seen written on a page. And your teenagers download it and you pay for it and they consume it. You know what people tell me all the time I can't memorize anything. You memorize every song you listen to over and over again. That means that what's discipling the next generation if it's not in the church is this godless vulgarity.
Like it matters what you listen to. It matters what you watch. It matters what goes in through your eye gate and your ear gate. It shapes what you think. Christians defending debauchery and pop culture, it's just entertainment, Pastor.
Don't be legalistic. All the while indulging in content that glorifies sin. This. This is abusing the grace of God. Jude is calling out spiritual frauds who redefine grace as a get out of holiness free card.
What's the bottom line? Grace is not permission to sin, it's the power to overcome it. Abusing grace leads to destruction. You know that Jude attacks the no rules crowd with the same intensity that the apostle Paul attacks the all rules crowd in Galatians. In Jude, it was a free for all.
There are no rules. In Galatians it was. If you want to please God, here's the list of rules you have to do. Those are two sides of the pendulum and the truth is in the middle. Both of those are perversions of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Both of them abuse grace. The no rules crowd abuses grace by exploiting it. The all rules crowd abuse grace by withholding it. They're both wrong. We want to be a church in the middle.
Amen. Lastly, today, the fourth characteristic of apostasy in Jude 4 is denying the Lord Jesus. I know that's hard for you to think about that you would ever do. The verse says, denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. To deny the Lord Jesus is to reject his authority over your own life.
And by the way, the lordship of Jesus is the earliest Christian confession. Romans, chapter 10, verse 9. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, which was the antithesis of Caesar is Lord. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It's interesting to me that the early church went around reminding themselves Jesus is Lord.
They didn't remind themselves Jesus, Jesus forgives because the lordship of Jesus covers it all. We are, without apology, a lordship of Jesus Christ Church.
Or at least I am. There was not a single amen on that. Samuel Ward, the Puritan preacher, wrote, as Savior, many will own him, but as Lord, few do know him. Even the baptized can fall away by enthroning ourselves in the place of Jesus and proving we've had a false conversion.
I'll give the last quote to JC Beware of false teachers. No poison is so deadly as that which is sugared.
What's the application here, preacher? Jude's opening verses are a wake up call for three reasons. They remind us, number one, of who we are in Christ. We're called and sanctified, and we're preserved by God. These opening verses also remind us of the certainty of spiritual danger.
Apostasy, my brothers and sisters, is not a distant threat. It's a present reality. And lastly, these verses remind us of our responsibility to contend for the faith. This is not optional. It is essential for every believer and every church.
Do you receive these words today? Let's pray together. Father, we are hungry believers that want to know your word. Want to know you, want to get it right. And we want to walk in truth.
Amen.
The Acts of the Apostates (verse by verse through Jude)
STAND AND FIGHT FOR THE FAITH
Jude 1-4
Intro: Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to fight—not with fists or weapons, but with unwavering
conviction—to protect something precious? Maybe it was your family, your reputation, or even your faith. Today, we’re diving into
the short, powerful letter of Jude. It is a call to arms for every believer. Jude challenges us to stand up and fight—not in anger, but
with truth and love—for the faith that has been entrusted to us. This isn’t about picking battles over opinions but about
safeguarding the core truths of the gospel from distortion and deceit. Together, let’s be reminded of who we are, what we’re up
against, and how we’re called to respond.
WHOSE LETTER?
Jude 1-2 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and
preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Who is the author? Jude. "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James."
We can learn a great deal about a man by listening to what he has to say about himself. Jude makes two significant claims.
“a bondservant of Jesus Christ” is something everyone can become. This is Jude’s humility.
“and a brother of James” is Jude’s unique status. He’s the brother of the church’s first notable pastor. This is his credibility.
Who is his audience? Believers uniquely graced.
What they already are:
Called — singled out by the Holy Spirit’s sovereign call to saving faith.
Sanctified — the present work of the Father, setting them apart for holiness.
Preserved — kept in Jesus Christ for the next world. (He keeps what we commit to Him)
What they may receive:
Mercy: Looks upward, reflecting God’s compassion on habitual sinners.
Peace: Looks inward, providing rest in Christ even when many are falling away.
Love: Looks outward, distributing grace toward others.
WHAT MOTIVATED JUDE TO WRITE?
Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you
exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude’s deep pastoral love is evident in his affectionate address: Beloved. While he intended to write about the shared joys of
salvation, he was compelled instead to warn and exhort believers to take up the fight for their faith.
The letter Jude wanted to write:
Jude originally planned to write about “our common salvation”—the shared blessings found in Christ – to celebrate with them.
The letter Jude was compelled to write:
But Jude was provoked to write a letter with a heavier tone – serious and sober in essence (“Although an unwelcome task, I felt I had
to write this”). His main exhortation? “contend earnestly for the faith.”
“Contend” means “to struggle to the point of agony if necessary.” It is the cost of being unfashionable (out of the step with
culture).
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It’s an athletic/military word of intense effort and perseverance. To contend is not to passively play defense. It is an offensive
onslaught.
It is fighting to safeguard and declare “the faith” which is the body of doctrine once delivered to the saints. This faith is non-
negotiable and unchanging. If we feed on it, we are nourished. If we reject it, we are destroyed.
We speak this truth in love. We contend without being contentious.
Charles Spurgeon – “The doctrines of grace are to be contended for…not with sword and shield, but with truth and love.”
How to contend for the faith is spelled out in vv.20-23. Why it is necessary is explained in vv.5-19.
WHAT IS AN APOSTATE?
Jude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn
the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude warns of the danger posed by false teachers who exploit the church from within. “Crept in” is sinister and secretive.
An apostate, according to the letter of Jude, is someone who rejects God's authority, distorts His grace, lives immorally, lacks the
Holy Spirit, deceives others, and causes divisions. They mock the truth and are destined for judgment.
Characteristics of apostates:
1. Marked out for judgment: “who long ago were marked out for this condemnation”
Their judgment is certain. It is rooted in ancient prophetic warnings.
2 Pet 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly
bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
The Lord will hold no one guiltless who seeks to destroy His church if they refuse to repent and believe.
2. Ungodly: “ungodly men”
What is the ungodliness of an apostate like? They live without reverence for God. They are morally corrupt and cannot hide it.
2 Tim 3:2-5 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Church, let me ask you something—how much is your faith worth to you? Would you trade it for a moment of pleasure? A
temporary gain? A fleeting satisfaction? Esau did.
Hebrews 12:16-17 "lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you
know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he
sought it diligently with tears."
Esau was a man who traded the eternal for the immediate.
He sold his birthright—his God-given privilege—for a bowl of stew. It wasn’t just a bad bargain; it revealed his heart.
He despised what was holy. He treated the blessings of God as common. He was careless with what was sacred.
And later, when he realized what he had lost, it was too late. His tears couldn’t undo his choices.
And this is where Jude 4 comes in. The false teachers and ungodly men Jude warns us about are just like Esau.
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They creep into the church, where they treat the grace of God with contempt. To them it is no more precious than Esau’s birthright
was to him. It is a convenient means to a carnal end.
They turn grace into a license for sin, just as Esau turned his sacred calling into a transaction for momentary pleasure.
These men reject Christ’s authority, just as Esau rejected the weight of his inheritance.
So, the question is—have we sneaked into Esau territory in our private lives? Are we so focused on satisfying temporary desires that
we neglect the eternal?
Are we treating the grace of God as something we can trade on, like the false teachers Jude describes?
Esau’s story is a warning. Let’s refuse the godlessness of Esau. Let’s treasure what lasts forever. Let’s fight for the faith, rather than
trade it away for what does not last.
3. Abusing grace: “who turn the grace of our God into lewdness” (lewdness = “licentiousness, unrestrained vice”)
These individuals pervert God’s grace, turning it into a license to sin. Frankly, indulging in immoral behavior and reckless self-
indulgence while claiming divine approval. It’s the spiritual con job of saying, "God is love, so He doesn’t care what I do."
Modern Examples:
Christian leaders excusing sexual sin – Think of pastors caught in scandals who manipulate Scripture to justify their affairs:
"God understands my struggles. Don’t judge!"
Hyper-grace theology – Preachers who teach that because Jesus forgives everything, repentance is optional: "It’s all under
the blood, bro. Sin boldly!"
Prosperity gospel gone wild – Those who use "God’s blessings" as an excuse for excess: "I’m rich because I’m anointed.
Don’t touch the Lord’s anointed!"
LGBTQ+ affirming churches that erase biblical ethics – "Love wins! God made me this way, so I can sleep with whoever I
want." (Ignoring Romans 1:26-27).
Christians defending debauchery in media – "It’s just entertainment! Don’t be legalistic!" (While indulging in content that
glorifies sin).
Jude is calling out spiritual frauds who redefine grace as a “get-out-of-holiness-free card.”
Bottom line? Grace isn’t permission to sin—it’s the power to overcome it. Abusing grace leads to destruction.
Jude attacks the “no-rules” crowd with the same intensity as Paul attacks the “all-rules” crowd in Galatians. Both are perversions of
the gospel of the Jesus Christ.
4. Denying the Lord Jesus: “denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ”
To deny the Lord Jesus Christ is to reject His authority over your own life.
Even the baptized can fall away and enthrone ourselves in the place of Jesus. We must guard against being deceived.
J.C. Ryle “Beware of false teachers. No poison is so deadly as that which is sugared.”
Application: Jude’s opening verses are a wake-up call.
They remind us:
Who we are in Christ: called, sanctified, and preserved by God.
The reality of spiritual danger: apostasy is not a distant threat but a present reality.
Our responsibility to contend for the faith: this is not optional but essential for every believer and every church.
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Let us actively guard the gospel, equipping ourselves with God’s Word, and relying on His Spirit for wisdom and courage. May we
stand firm in faith until we see Jesus face to face.
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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church!
