Jude 17-23

Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and open to the book of Jude.

! We're going to be looking at verses 17 through 23 this morning.

So we've talked about the examples of false teachers.

We've talked about the specific false teaching that Jude's opponents are guilty of, namely antinomianism.

We've talked about the threat that false teachers pose to the church.

We've talked about the character of false teachers and so many other facets pertaining to false teachers and false teaching.

In our first week especially, we talked about how false teachers always arise within the church.

So we would never call a Buddhist or a Hindu a false teacher, even though everything they teach is blatantly not true.

But a false teacher, biblically speaking, is one who professes faith in God, who proclaims to follow God,

and yet distorts God's Word, distorts who God is, and then lives wickedly and teaches others to do likewise.

So, in short, everything about a false teacher is a lie.

What they say and how they live, it's all a lie.

So, knowing these truths, knowing these realities, Jude writes to the church on the occasion of this infiltration by false teachers.

And his overall charge to the church is simple.

Verse 3, contend for the faith.

And so today, we're finally going to see what contending for the faith looks like in Jude's mind.

He's going to tell us what to do.

So, looking at Jude, verse 17 then, Jude writes to the church.

He says,

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.

It is these who cause divisions, worldly people devoid of the Spirit.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

And have mercy on those who doubt.

Save others by snatching them out of the fire.

To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

So, before we get into our outline, I want to address something briefly.

It's come to my attention that some might be wondering,

Why are we studying this book?

What does all this have to do with me?

Perhaps you're thinking, I'm just trying to be a good spouse, or a good parent, or a good friend right now.

Or you might think, I don't know any false teachers,

or I don't know anyone being duped by false teaching,

so why this book?

And obviously, I do not know if anyone is thinking in those terms.

I certainly hope nobody is thinking in those terms.

And I even doubt anybody really is.

But just in case someone is, let me briefly explain why you need Jude right now.

2 Timothy 3, verses 16 through 17 says,

2 Timothy 3:16–17

So those two verses alone should silence any thought of us thinking we do not need Jude right now.

And do not hear that as some cliche reference, but that is the word of God.

So Paul is telling us in a very real sense that the book of Jude is profitable for teaching,

for reproof, and for correction, and for training of righteousness.

The book of Jude equips us for every good work.

And so if you have found the last few weeks as irrelevant or unhelpful,

that probably says more about me and my preaching than it does about the book of Jude.

So if I have failed in that way, then I genuinely apologize.

But do not blame Jude.

I would encourage you to spend time in Jude to prayerfully consider how God is desiring to shape

and mold you in light of the reality of false teachers and what Jude tells us about them.

And I will tell you these truths in Jude and these realities in Jude are essential for you

to be a good spouse, a good parent, and a good friend.

The day will come, if it has not already,

when your spouse or your child or your friend will be caught up in false teaching.

And there will be more than one day.

This happens many times.

They will hear something that tickles their ear.

They will hear something that makes them feel free to sin.

And they will try to get you to come along with them

and condone such thinking and such living.

So you need to be ready.

You need to be aware of such things.

And most importantly, you need to know how to contend for the faith.

So as to keep yourself and your loved ones on the right path

so that you might be a faithful messenger whom God uses to preserve his people.

Now, if you are doubtful about the chances of you or anyone you know

coming into contact with false teachers or false teaching,

then listen to our first application and corresponding verses carefully.

Application number one.

Remember the predictions of the apostles.

Jude says,

But you must remember, beloved, in verse 17,

the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They said to you in the last time,

there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions.

It is these who cause divisions,

worldly people devoid of the Spirit.

So you will notice that Jude switches back to addressing the believers in this letter.

The last few weeks he has been talking about and talking to the false teachers,

but now he is telling the believers what he wants to tell them.

And immediately we see that the apostles themselves are under the authority of Jesus Christ.

Not the authority of dreams like the false teachers from last week, right?

But under the authority of Christ,

these apostles warned that in the church there will be scoffers.

So make no mistake, it is prophesied.

And so we would all be foolish to doubt that we will encounter false teachers and false teachings in our life,

in our community.

It will happen.

And the Greek word for scoffer is empektai.

One scholar defines this term well.

He says that an empektai is one who, quote,

despises morality and true religion.

He is arrogant and he is a godless libertine.

What a fitting word to describe those whom Jude is up against.

The false teacher is inherently also a scoffer.

That is who they are and what they do.

Recall that it was scoffers who crucified our Lord.

Matthew 27, verse 29 says,

Matthew 27:29

And twisting together a crown of thorns,

they put it on Jesus' head and put a reed in his right hand.

And kneeling before him, they mocked or scoffed at him, saying,

Hail, King of the Jews.

They mocked him in an irreverent, ungodly way.

And Matthew goes on to describe in verse 31, he writes,

And when they had mocked or scoffed at Jesus,

they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him

and led him away to crucify him.

And in verses 41 through 42, Matthew tells us this.

He says,

So also the chief priests with the scribes and the elders

mocked or scoffed at Jesus, saying,

He saved others, but he cannot save himself.

He is the King of Israel.

Let him come down now from the cross,

and we will believe in him.

So notice in Matthew's Gospel,

we see both the pagan Romans

and the so-called God-fearing Israelite leaders

mocking or scoffing at the Lord,

God incarnate.

There is no reverence.

There is no sense of submitting to Christ's lordship.

All these people hated Jesus.

So let that image,

that image of all these people

wickedly treating our Lord,

be the image you think of

when you picture these false teachers

that Jude is addressing.

It is no exaggeration to say

they are one and the same

of the exact type of person.

They hate Jesus.

Jude 4 tells us this.

They say, or Jude says,

they deny our only Master and Lord,

Jesus Christ.

And in our text today,

he says that they are people

who are following their own ungodly passions.

So at this point in Jude's very brief letter,

he has called these false teachers ungodly six times.

He adds here that they are proactively following

their ungodly passions.

This is a way of life for them.

And the Greek word for passions here is epithumies.

This word is often translated as lust in our Bible,

and with that we tend to think of specifically

sexual temptation or sin of some kind.

And given the rest of the letter

that we've studied so far,

that may very well be what Jude has in mind.

However, this term can also just denote

an extreme or intense desire for anything.

You could have an intense desire or passion

for money or power or the praise of man

or anything.

It's an uncontrollable desire.

You are a slave to this type of desire,

right, is the idea of epithumies.

So it seems that Jude is simply saying

that these false teachers are wholly committed

to their ungodliness.

So whether you take that as sexual sin

or sin of any kind,

they are chasing after it

with every fiber of their being.

Again, think of those who crucified our Lord

and how they did it.

So that kind of person,

that false teacher,

is prophesied to come time and time again.

And that person will come for you,

for your spouse,

for your kids,

and for your friends,

for your church.

And if the last few weeks in today's text

are not enough to tell you

to have nothing to do with false teachers,

Jude ends the discussion by saying

that they are those who cause divisions.

They are worldly people devoid of the Spirit.

They're not believers.

The battle is certain.

It is inevitable.

And so we must be ready.

We must remember what the apostles prophesied.

And in Greek,

the word remember is an imperative,

meaning it is a commandment.

So this isn't an invitation.

Jude isn't suggesting.

He's telling you,

you must remember.

But without further delay,

let's finally see what Jude has in mind

for how we ought to contend for the faith.

So application number two,

build up the church in the gospel.

Application number two,

build up the church in the gospel.

So in the first half of verse 20,

Jude writes,

but you, beloved,

building yourselves up

in your most holy faith.

Yet again,

Jude distinguishes his address

by saying,

but you, beloved.

He is creating a contrast

with the false teacher.

So whereas the false teacher

causes division in verse 19,

the beloved or the true believers

are to build up the church.

Right?

The phrase,

building yourselves up in English,

it might sound like

a very individualistic statement

as though you yourself

build yourself up.

But that is not what Jude means.

Jude is borrowing from a metaphor

that the church used a lot

during the first century

when our New Testament was written.

This metaphor always depicts

the church as a body

or a structure

in which each individual

is working to build up

or edify other believers

in some meaningful way.

So some examples,

Romans 14, 19,

Paul says,

so then let us pursue

what makes for peace

and for mutual upbuilding.

Paul also said

to the Corinthian church

in 1 Corinthians 14, 12,

he says,

so with yourself,

since you are eager

for manifestations of the Spirit,

strive to excel

in building up the church.

And likewise,

he says to the Thessalonians,

1 Thessalonians 5, 11,

therefore encourage one another

and build one another up

just as you are doing.

So clearly,

Jude is making use

of a well-known metaphor.

The true believers

in the church

are to build one another up

in the most holy faith,

as it says in verse 20.

Now, I take that phrase

to be referring to the gospel

the same way I believe

Jude is referring to the gospel

in verse 3

from our first week together

when he says

we are to contend for the faith

once for all

delivered to the saints.

Jude says,

your holy faith

because it is a faith

or a gospel

that comes not from false teachers

and their authority,

their dreams,

but it is the one

that was given to them

by the apostles

and the apostles

received it from God.

So it is their holy faith.

And we are to be building

one another up

in the gospel.

The true gospel

is the foundation

of everything

that we do as believers.

And I fear that sometimes

we think of the gospel

as simply something

for unbelievers,

right,

and an essential tool

for evangelism

to be sure,

but then we leave it

at that

as though it is only use.

And while it is certainly

important

and obviously essential

for evangelism,

the gospel is also essential

for Christian living

to recall,

to reflect on,

to enjoy,

and so much more.

It should encompass

everything we do,

think,

feel,

and desire.

So listen to Paul's words

about the centrality

of the gospel

in 1 Corinthians 15,

1 Corinthians 15:1–2

verses 1-2.

Paul writes,

and notice how this

kind of echoes Jude.

He writes,

Now I would remind you,

brothers,

of the gospel

I preached to you,

which you received,

in which you stand,

and by which you are

being saved,

if you hold fast

to the word

I preached to you,

unless you believed

in vain.

So notice all the

tenses there.

We can clearly see

the gospel was essential

to the Corinthians

when Paul first preached

it to them,

right,

past tense,

and is essential

as they stand in it,

present,

and is essential

for the end of days

because they are being

saved by it.

There's the future,

right,

it encompasses

all of our life.

And Paul also said this

to the Ephesian church

in Acts 20,

Acts 20:32

verse 32.

He said,

I commend you to God

and to the word

of his grace,

referring to the gospel,

the word of his grace,

which he is able

to build you up

and to give you

the inheritance

among all those

who are sanctified.

So there's the

build-up language

again,

and it is for

our sanctification.

So let's be

about this work.

Let's encourage

one another

by reminding

one another

of the gospel.

And don't forget

that Jude initially

wanted to write

to his audience

about the gospel,

right,

a thing that Jude

himself says

they know

all things

about it.

Yet he wanted

to remind them

of the beauties

and the truths

and the hopefulness

that the gospel offers

despite them

already knowing it.

So clearly it has

use,

it has purpose

daily

for Christian living.

And so here at CFC

there are

ample opportunities

to do this.

We have

community groups

where you as an

individual

can go

and share

the gospel

with other believers,

not in an evangelistic

way but in a

discipleship way

and in a way

to encourage

or build up

one another,

right?

Leave your insecurity

at the door

and love others

by speaking up

about the word

of God

and how it has

worked through

your life.

Be an encouragement.

We also have

really organic

discipleship here

at CFC,

right?

We have

core groups

that are meeting

every week

and forming

every week.

Core groups

consist of two

to four guys

or two to four

gals

to get together

hold one another

accountable,

right?

What an opportunity

to reflect

on the gospel,

to teach

the gospel,

to remind

one another

of the gospel.

And then there

are also obviously

just people

hanging out

all the time,

people doing

dinners,

game nights,

and other gatherings.

And I would suggest

to you that this is

not a night off

from being a Christ

follower, right?

That is a temptation

I often face.

I think it's a temptation

we all often face

to think these

are just nights

to forget that

and let loose

or what have you.

But again,

that's not true.

Let's make the gospel

some aspect

of that fellowship night,

whether it's through

prayer or encouraging word

or whatever.

But be gospel-centric.

And so what else

does Jude tell us to do?

Well, Jude tells us

to pray in the Holy Spirit.

Application number three,

pray in the Holy Spirit.

So looking at the

second half of verse 20,

here,

Jude describes

how our actions

ought to be in the...

Excuse me.

Jude describes

how our actions

ought to be

in light of the danger

of false teachers.

And he says

we should be

in the second half

of verse 20

praying in the Holy Spirit.

So that expression

of praying

in the Holy Spirit

is referring to

praying in such a way

that we are seeking

and asking God

for that which

the Spirit wills.

So, of course,

the Holy Spirit

wills for the exact

same things

as the Father

and the Son.

So we can pray

in the Holy Spirit

or in the Father

or in the Son

because they are one.

Right here,

Jesus' words

on this matter

in John 14,

John 14:14–17

verses 14 through 17.

He said,

If you ask me

anything in my name,

I will do it.

If you love me,

you will keep

my commandments.

And I will ask

the Father

and he will give you

another helper

referring to the Holy Spirit.

He will give you

the Holy Spirit

to be with you forever,

even the Spirit

of truth,

whom the world

cannot receive

because it neither

sees him nor knows him.

You know him

for he dwells with you

and will be in you.

So notice that.

The promise for believers

who pray in the Spirit

or in the Son,

Jesus says,

I will do it.

When our prayers

are conformed

to the will of God,

then we can trust

our almighty,

sovereign,

one true God

to bring it

to completion,

to bring it about.

Right?

Not only does he

hear our prayers,

but he answers them

when we pray

for that which

we know he desires.

That is amazing.

And how do we know

what he desires?

Well, you'll have

to read the Bible.

to know what he desires.

So I would commend

to you to pray

through the Bible.

One of my professors,

Don Whitney,

he wrote a little book

about this idea.

I believe Nathan's

recommended it before.

I'll recommend it again

because it's a fitting book

to recommend for this time.

It's called

Praying the Bible.

Okay?

And it basically

will teach you

how to use Scripture

as a prayer guide.

And I'll tell you,

honestly,

for me,

when I sit down

to pray,

it is not uncommon

that I'm not sure

what to say.

Right?

And I end up saying

the same things

over and over again

day to day

and my heart

is just not

really in it.

And God

hates those prayers.

The prayers

where my lips

praise him,

but my heart

is far from him.

He hates

those prayers.

But opening the Psalms

and seeing

what the Holy Spirit

inspired the psalmist

to pray about,

and then in turn

praying those things

myself,

after meditating

and contemplating

those texts,

God loves

those prayers

and he answers

those prayers.

And I will tell you,

I love those prayers

because I can tell

a big difference

in my prayer life

when I am actively

and truly praying

for those things

as opposed to

going through

the motions.

When I am really

praying in the Spirit,

I know the difference.

And I am sure

and trust that

many of you do too.

So praying through

the Bible

is a wonderful way

to wake up,

so to speak,

in your prayer life.

You just have

to do it.

So prayer

is an essential

daily habit

to cultivate.

One benefit

of praying daily

for Jude's context,

right,

is that it will

prepare you

for the day

when false teachers

inevitably

come your way.

And another

exhortation

that Jude gives us

is that we ought

to keep ourselves

in the love of God.

Application number four,

keep yourselves

in the love

of God.

I took this right

from the book itself,

verse 21,

first half,

keep yourselves

in the love

of God.

So Jude loves

to contrast

the believers

with false teachers.

Now recall

in verse 6

from weeks ago

that it was

the false teachers

or the angels

who did not keep

their proper dwelling.

They left

their proper dwelling

for unnatural desires.

Well,

we as believers

are called

to keep our position,

our position being

in the love

of God.

So what does that mean?

It means

obedience.

Jude is borrowing

another well-known idea

that is throughout

the New Testament,

the idea of keeping

as equated

to obedience.

James chapter 2,

James 2:10

verse 10 says,

whoever keeps

the whole law

but fails in one point

has become guilty

of all of this.

Notice that language,

keeping the law.

Likewise,

in 1 John,

1 John 2:3–5

chapter 2,

verses 3 through 5,

John writes,

and by this

we know that

we have come

to know him

if we keep

his commandments.

Whoever says,

I know him

but does not

keep his commandments

is a liar

and the truth

is not in him.

But whoever

keeps his word,

in him truly

the love of God

is perfected.

By this we know

that we are in him.

And recall

that Jude refers

to believers

as those who are

kept by God the Father

in verse 1.

The reality

of our standing

before God

being the result

of his work

or his keeping

is the ethical

grounds

for why

we must

keep ourselves

in the love

of God.

Now I'm going

to repeat that.

This is the indicative

imperative pattern

if you're familiar

with this concept

but just hear this phrase

is all I'm talking about.

The reality

of our standing

before God

being the result

of his work

or his keeping

is the ethical

grounds

for why

we must

keep ourselves

in the love

of God.

So this is one

of those texts

that helps us

see both

divine sovereignty

and human

responsibility

at play.

So yes,

God sovereignly

chooses those

whom he saves.

He sovereignly

sanctifies

his elect.

Philippians 1.6

says as much

Paul writes,

I am sure of this

that God

who began

a good work

in you

will bring it

to completion

at the day

of Jesus Christ.

yet it is also

true that we

are held

responsible

for our

sanctification

and perseverance

in the faith.

2 Peter 1.10

says,

Therefore,

brothers,

be all the more

diligent to make

your calling

and election

sure,

for if you

practice these

qualities,

you will never

fall.

So because

we can rest

so greatly

in the person

and work

of Christ,

we can work

so hard

to bear fruit

in keeping

with repentance.

It's all

of God

and yet

we are able

to work

so hard

to strive

towards godliness

because it is

all of God.

Because God

wills it,

God promises

it for those

of us

who are in

Christ.

And Jesus

himself expressed

these realities

in John

John 15:9–11

chapter 15

verses 9

through 11.

Jesus says,

Just as the

Father has loved

me,

I have also

loved you.

Abide in

my love

or keep

in my love.

If you

keep my

commandments,

you will

abide

in my

love.

These things

I have

spoken to

you so

that my

joy may

be in

you and

that your

joy may

be made

full.

So notice

the promise,

our joy

will be

made full

in obedience

to Christ.

And do

not let it

go unnoticed

that Jude

is assuming

we are

loved by

God and

in the

love of

God.

In verse

1 he

addresses

the

believers

as

beloved,

as does

our text

today twice

in verse

17 and

verse 20.

Beloved,

beloved,

beloved.

So just

take a

moment and

put some

of the

things

together

that we

have been

talking

about.

We as

believers

are in

such a

great

position

to succeed

despite

false

teachers

and

false

teachings.

We know

from

verse 1

of Jude

that we

are called,

beloved,

and kept

by God

the Father

for Jesus

Christ.

We are

told in

the book

of Jude

in advance

that false

teachers are

coming.

We are

able to

prepare

beforehand.

We are

able to

pray to

our Father

in the

Spirit and

He will

answer our

prayers if

they are

truly in

the Spirit.

And we

have a

faith community,

the church,

to hold us

accountable and

to point us

to the true

gospel.

So think

of the love

of God,

of the

providence

of God,

that He

has

orchestrated

all these

things to

be for

our good,

for our

salvation and

well-being and

protection,

yet still

chiefly for

His glory.

So do

your work.

Keep

yourselves

in the

love of

God,

yet rest

knowing that

ultimately He

is keeping

you too.

And finally,

we are to

orient our

entire lives

toward the

end of

days.

So this

is application

number five.

Orient your

whole life

toward the

end of

days.

So looking

at verse

21 on,

Jude writes,

keep yourselves

in the love

of God,

waiting for

the mercy

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ that

leads to

eternal life.

And have

mercy on

those who

doubt.

Save

others by

snatching

them out

of the

fire.

To

others

show mercy

with fear,

hating even

the garment

stained by

the flesh.

So in

the last

bit of

our text

this morning,

there is

one commandment

after another.

We are to

have mercy

on those

who doubt,

we are to

save others

from the

fire,

and we are

to show

mercy with

fear.

But each

of these

commandments

that Jude

gives falls

under the

waiting in

verse 21.

We are to

wait for

Christ's

return at

the end

of days.

The day

when He

will come

with His

host of

angels to

judge the

wicked that

Jude described

in verses

14 through

15,

but also

the day

when He

will rule

His elect

righteously

for all

eternity.

So in

anticipation

of that

day,

the end

of history,

Jude is

telling us

that we

are to

do with

false

teachers

and those

who are

to do

with false

teachers

and those

who are

deceived

by false

teaching.

Here it is,

Jude says,

have mercy

on those

who doubt.

So who

are the

doubters?

I don't

think he's

thinking of

skeptics or

atheists or

something like

that,

although I

do think

this principle

applies in

that case.

But I

think Jude

has in

mind those

who are

not sure

what to

believe,

those who

are caught

up between

the apostolic

faith once

for all

delivered to

the saints

or the

false

gospel spread

by the

false

teachers.

These are

people who

just aren't

sure.

Who's

right?

Who do I

trust?

What is

true?

In other

words,

these doubters

are those

who are

being swept

away by

false

teaching.

They haven't

committed,

but they're

open.

They're

thinking about

it.

Right?

And for

the one who

is confused

about what

is true

and what

is false,

our desire

should be

mercy.

And I

don't think

it is a

stretch to

say that

Jude has

in mind

the patient

work of

discipleship,

or even

evangelism if

necessary.

So think of

Jesus when

doubting Thomas

was unconvinced

that Jesus

had truly

been

resurrected.

Mind you,

it's an

ancient heresy

to deny

the resurrection

of Jesus

Christ.

And so here

Thomas is

doubting.

He's playing

with fire.

He's being

pulled into

this heretical

idea of denying

the resurrection.

He's doubting.

And yet in

John chapter 20

John 20:26–29

verses 26

through 29

Jesus comes

to the

disciples and

his very first

words to all

of them,

including Thomas,

are this.

He says,

Peace be

with you.

Then Jesus

said to

Thomas,

Put your

finger here.

He's referring

to where his

hands had been

pierced.

He says,

Put your

finger here

and put your

hand and

place it on

my side where

he was stabbed

by a spear.

So Jesus

says,

Place your

hands in

these places.

See that I

truly am the

one who was

pierced,

the one who

was crucified.

And Jesus

goes on to

say to

Thomas,

Do not

disbelieve,

but believe.

And Thomas

answered him,

My Lord

and God.

I see how

gently and

yet firmly

Jesus showed

Thomas the

error of

his doubt.

Let us be

likewise to

those who

doubt today.

And likewise,

there are those

who are so

convinced by

false teaching

that they

are practically

on fire,

meaning they

are heading

for hell

if they do

not repent

and believe

in the true

gospel.

Yet the

grace and

love of God

demands that

we work to

save them

by snatching

them,

as Jude

says,

from the

fire.

So this is

much more

forceful language.

Jude is saying

we are to

aggressively

plead and

argue with

this person

concerning the

error of

their way.

God

think of

how Christ

sternly and

bluntly called

out the

Pharisees and

Sadducees

throughout the

gospels.

These were

false teachers

convinced by

their false

teaching.

So Jesus

dealt with

them in a

very bold

and serious

manner.

And again,

I pray that

we would do

likewise when

the occasion

calls for it.

That we would

be so bold

and so loving

to call out

such people

to their

face for

their salvation.

To give

them that

opportunity

again to

repent and

believe.

And Jude

tells us

lastly that

to others

we show

mercy with

fear.

So who

is this

last group?

And the

description at

the end of

verse 23

is key.

And I

will warn

you that

this is

gross

imagery that

Jude gives

us.

The imagery

is that of

one who's

undergarments.

In your

ESV it

says garments

but the

Greek word

really means

undergarments

or their

underwear to

be clear.

And he

says it

is stained

by all

manner of

bodily

produce.

And

specifically

given the

Greek

underlying

this text

as well as

the context

of the

letter as

a whole

I think

Jude is

depicting

an adulterer

whose

undergarments

are stained

significantly.

In other

words Jude

is addressing

the actual

false

teachers

who

practice

licentiousness.

He's talking

about the

very people

who

quote

verse 4

pervert

the grace

of our

God

into

sensuality.

Well you

say well

that's

disgusting

to which

Jude would

reply

that's

the point.

He's talking

about the

very people

who are

just like

the grumblers

in the

Exodus

just like

the rebellious

angels

just like

Sodom

and Gomorrah

these people

who are

also just

like Cain

and Balaam

and Korah

these

ungodly

perverted

adulterous

false

teachers

are whom

Jude

has in

mind

and it

may

surprise

you

given

the

language

we have

read

thus far

about

judgment

and hell

but what

exactly

does Jude

tell us

to do

with such

people

how do

we

contend

for the

faith

with

these

people

and Jude's

answer

in verse

23

we show

mercy

with fear

I've said

it throughout

these last

few weeks

and I'll

say it

again

these

false

teachers

are not

beyond the

power

of the

gospel

God

has

and can

and still

does

save

such

people

praise

the

Lord

and we

should not

give up

on them

or turn

our backs

to them

rather

we show

mercy

to them

by correcting

their way

by calling

them to

repentance

and faith

by pleading

with them

to turn

to the

true

gospel

to turn

to Christ

and we

need to

do so

with

fear

I think

Jude

intends

by this

that we

must be

very wise

and discerning

with how

we approach

such people

you read

the New

Testament

carefully

or the

Old

Testament

warning

after

warning

is given

to those

who spend

too much

time

with false

teachers

and yet

we see

Jesus

sit

and dine

with

Pharisees

and yet

we see

Jesus

come

to false

teachers

and engage

them

and we

don't have

time to

go into

that in

depth

but just

know

that we

need to

be careful

with how

and when

we interact

with such

people

but don't

miss that

we do

interact

we do

reach out

we do

still

preach

the gospel

to such

people

and we do

so with

fear

because

if we

are not

careful

knowing that

these people

teach false

ideas

that sound

biblical

knowing that

these people

then use

those ideas

to justify

sin

something that

our flesh

innately

desires

we have to

be careful

because who

knows what

temptations

or what

doubts

will come

our way

if we interact

with these people

carelessly

so the end

is coming

the time

is ticking

away

and Christ

will judge

justly

all who

do not

repent

and believe

in him

and we're

going to be

assaulted

by all kinds

of false

teachers

in our life

we already

have been

I know

for many of us

we've encountered

this

for many of us

we once

believed

these things

and so we

need to wait

and be merciful

we need to

orient our

lives right

now

with this end

in mind

knowing that

God will

judge

the wicked

so we need

to be

wise

and intentional

with showing

mercy

to all

so that they

might come

to know

Christ

and be saved

so to that end

let's pray