Jude 5-7

Last week we saw that Jude, or Judas if you recall, his name in Greek, that he is the half-brother of Jesus and the brother of James.

He wanted to write this letter to the church about the gospel and the beauties therein.

But in his own words, he was constrained, or he found it necessary to write to them instead that they ought to contend for the faith in verse 3.

He felt constrained because the occasion demanded it.

The occasion is many false teachers are perverting the grace of God so as to allow sensuality.

We see that in verse 4.

And if you recall, I mentioned that these false teachers are antinomians of some kind.

They are anti-law.

They do not submit to Christ.

Rather, they deny his lordship by their lifestyle.

They do what they want, when they want, and how they want, with no regard for God.

And Jude's charge to us in this scenario, to his audience at the time, is to contend for the faith.

This is the main exhortation that runs throughout this entire letter.

And again, Jude does not explicitly explain how to contend for the faith until verses 17 through 23, which we will cover in a couple weeks.

But rather, Jude goes on to explain the threat that these false teachers pose in verse 4.

They threaten to destroy the very gospel which we proclaim by distorting it.

A watered-down gospel being no gospel at all.

That is the threat that false teachers pose that we saw last week.

So we saw that threat, but now we are primarily going to see Jude describe the future and what it holds for these false teachers, for these apostates.

And so picking back up in verse 5, Jude writes,

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it,

that the Lord who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling,

He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities,

which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire,

just as they serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

So I have two applications today which will serve as our outline.

Number one, know your Old Testament well.

And number two, consider the fool's end.

So application number one, know your Old Testament well.

This section of Jude's letter flows out of his desire to remind.

He wants to remind his true Christian audience of truths concerning the Old Testament.

Namely, he wants them to understand a pattern, a pattern of false teachers.

And in typical Jewish fashion, he does so in rapid typological examples.

He mentions the Exodus generation, the rebellious angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah.

These three serve as templates to help us understand what the end holds for false teachers.

And these three examples will also hint at a description of the false teachers,

which Jude will describe them more fully next week in our text.

But even now, he's beginning to show us what they are really like,

what they really do, who they really are.

And so again, verse 5, Jude assumes much of his audience.

Again, last week, he assumed his audience was familiar with the doctrines of divine election and reprobation.

This week, he assumes his audience is familiar with the Old Testament.

And frankly, the word familiar is a severe understatement.

He says in verse 5,

I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that's how your ESV translate it.

The Greek word for once is the same word used in verse 3 to describe the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

So my translation reads this way,

you who once for all know this.

So there seems to be this comprehensive knowledge,

this very detailed, deep, intimate knowledge of the Old Testament

that Jude is assuming the church knows.

And not just the stories, but the theological significance of those stories.

They know their Old Testament well.

And Jude assumes this.

So we should ensure these things are very well known to us.

Not just the details of the story, but what it means, the significance, the theological significance.

But just in case all these stories are maybe blurry in your mind,

or you can't quite recall what's going on in these references,

we'll run through those quickly.

So in verse 5, the second half of verse 5,

we see that the Lord saved the people out of the land of Egypt,

and afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

So Jude here is not quoting a particular text,

but is summarizing a large number of texts that talk about the Exodus event.

Biblical texts like the Pentateuch,

and even the prophets who think back on the Exodus.

And this great historical act of the Exodus,

when God saved Israel out of slavery in Egypt,

has always served biblically as a picture of salvation and judgment.

God judged Pharaoh along with Egypt while saving and calling Israel to himself.

You have the Egyptians who are outside of God's people,

who are cut off,

versus the Israelites who are God's people.

They are inside the faith.

But I don't think Jude is referring to the Egyptians.

Remember, Jude is addressing people who claim to be of the faith,

who claim to be Christians,

who are apostates.

So I think Jude has in mind apostates from the Exodus account,

and of which, frankly, there are an abundance.

You can take your pick.

There were those who,

while Moses is up on the mount receiving the law,

who rose up to play, is the expression,

and they worshipped the golden calf.

They were guilty of idolatry as they worshipped this golden calf,

and rose up to play being a euphemistic phrase,

meaning they were committing mass adultery.

And the interesting thing here is you will often hear Exodus 32

preached as if these people reverted back to paganism

by worshipping the golden calf,

as if they just decided to abandon God altogether,

you know, that they rejected him.

But listen to Exodus 32, verses 4 through 6 carefully.

Exodus 32:4–6

Moses writes,

And Aaron received the gold from their hand

and fashioned it with a graving tool

and made a golden calf.

And the crowd said,

listen to this,

These are your gods, O Israel,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

And in verse 5,

Aaron refers to this golden calf as Yahweh.

He uses the covenant name for the Israel God

to refer to this image.

So Aaron is saying to the people,

The golden calf is Yahweh.

So they thought they were worshipping the one true God

who led them out of Egypt,

when in fact they were doing anything but.

So they did revert to paganism in one sense,

their pagan practices,

their pagan ideas,

but they tried to blend it in

with worshipping the one true God,

which never goes well.

In their claim of worshipping Yahweh,

they dishonor Him

by practicing lawlessness,

sexual immorality,

and idolatry.

False teaching leads to these things.

And this sounds like Jude 4 from last week.

Jude accuses the false teachers in his letter

of being those who pervert the grace of our God

into sensuality.

So going back to Exodus,

as a result,

God commanded the men who repented.

We see this in Exodus 32, 27-28.

He commands them and he says to them,

To put on their sword

and go to and fro,

gate to gate,

throughout the camp.

Each of you kill his brother

and his companion

and his neighbor.

And the sons of Levi

did according to the word of Moses.

And that day about 3,000 men fell.

Divine judgment on the apostate.

There are also those in Numbers 14,

which is still referring to

the Exodus wilderness wanderings.

These people,

who again are claiming to be in the faith,

claiming to be the people of God,

these people doubted God.

And after Israel had sent spies

to check out the promised land

in Numbers 13,

the Israelites become fearful

of fighting the giant inhabitants.

And as a result,

we see in Numbers 14, verse 2,

Numbers 14:2

that they grumbled

and demanded that they elect

new leaders

to lead them back to Egypt,

back to slavery,

back to oppression,

back to wickedness,

all because they doubted God.

So these people were so set

on this rebellion

to the point

that they wanted to murder,

to stone the faithful,

Joshua and Moses,

in Numbers 14, verse 10.

Numbers 14:10

And in verse 11,

the Lord responds,

he says to Moses,

how long will these people,

the Israelites,

how long will these people despise me?

And how long will they not believe in me

in spite of all the signs

that I have done among them?

So Jude very well could have been thinking

of this text specifically

because he refers to those

who did not believe

and God accuses these doubters

of disbelief.

It's hard to be too dogmatic

about exactly what he has in mind

here in the Exodus account.

But nonetheless,

the point remains

that here we have the people

from the Exodus generation

who did not believe.

And as a result,

their entire generation

was not allowed to enter

the promised land

with, of course,

a few exceptions.

They were judged by God

and perished in the wilderness.

So the Exodus generation

is the first example.

The second example

is very interesting.

Jude references

a suetopigraphal work,

just meaning false writings.

So look at verse 6.

He says,

and the angels

who did not stay

within their own position

of authority,

but left their proper dwelling,

he has kept in eternal chains

under gloomy darkness

until the judgment

of the great day.

So this is not a story

you will find

anywhere in the Bible.

It's a reference,

actually,

to 1 Enoch,

specifically the Book

of the Watchers,

which is a part

of 1 Enoch.

1 Enoch was a very

well-known book

in the Greco-Roman world,

specifically to Jews.

It's written roughly

2nd century B.C.

So it's written

between the Old

and New Testaments.

And to be clear,

Enoch from the Bible,

from the book of Genesis,

is not the true author,

hence why it's called

a suetopigrapha,

false writing.

He didn't actually write it.

But it's alluded to

in our text today

in verse 6,

and it's quoted

specifically

in Jude 14 through 15,

which we'll see

in a few weeks.

And just without

rattling them,

it's alluded to

throughout the New Testament

all over.

So it's a very popular work,

a very well-known work,

that interacts

with the Bible

to a great extent.

Now, to be clear,

it's not

canonical scripture.

That's really important.

It's not the Word of God.

It is not authoritative.

But it's really helpful

because it helps us

understand Jewish thought,

Jewish interpretation.

It helps us see

what they thought

about the Bible

at that time.

And it is referenced

in the Bible,

so it's good to know

what they're referencing.

So in the Book of the Watchers,

Jude is interacting

with a section

in which Enoch,

supposedly Enoch,

is retelling

Genesis 6,

1 through 4.

So the biblical,

the canonical

Genesis 6,

1 through 4,

so this,

the Word of God,

says this,

when man began

to multiply

on the face

of the land

and daughters

were born to them,

the sons of God

saw that the daughters

of man were attractive

and they took

as their wives

any they chose.

Then the Lord said,

My spirit shall not

abide in man forever,

for he is flesh.

His days shall be

a hundred and twenty years.

The Nephilim

were on the earth

in those days

and also afterward

the sons of God

came into the daughters

of man

and they bore

children to them.

These were the mighty

men of old,

the men of renown.

There's two cups.

Okay.

Now the author

of Enoch

expands this text

in Genesis

with additional

details.

So much debate

has been stirred

around the identity

of these sons of God.

The most popular,

the most consistent

interpretation

throughout history

has been that

the sons of God

refer to angels.

who impregnated

these women.

Angels who

left heaven,

came down,

slept with women,

and bore offspring.

And in 1 Enoch

we see this

interpretation play out.

His writing

spells it out.

These are not men

in the Enochic version,

but rather angels.

And Jude seems

to agree

with that interpretation

under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit.

Jude 6 says,

right,

and the angels.

So Jude seems

to be telling us

through the Spirit

that that in fact

is the correct

interpretation

of Genesis 6,

that they were

in fact angels.

And some will say,

well,

that can't be.

Did not Jesus say

that we will be

like the angels

and thus not given

in marriage?

Right?

He says this in Matthew

Matthew 22:29–30

22 verses 29 to 30

implying that

angels can't reproduce.

Angels don't do

that kind of thing.

But notice Jesus

is saying

the angels in heaven

are not given

in marriage.

These angels

stay in their lane

and do as they are told.

Whereas the angels

that Jude refers to

have,

as Jude says,

left their proper dwelling.

They no longer

abide in heaven.

They no longer

obey God,

but they sought out

the attractive

daughters of man.

So Enoch put it

this way

in his rewriting.

He says,

And it came to pass

when the children

of men

had multiplied

that in those days

were born unto them

beautiful and comely

daughters.

And the angels,

the children of heaven,

saw and lusted

after them

and said to one another,

Come,

let us choose us wives

from among the children

of men

and beget us children.

So these angels

who fall,

these angels who rebel,

these demons,

you might say,

they leave heaven

to pursue their lusts

and in leaving heaven

their proper dwelling,

they fall into sin.

So what happened

to them after that?

Well,

according to both

Enoch and Jude,

God imprisons them.

Your ESV will say

that these angels

did not stay

within their own

position of authority,

whereas the Greek

literally reads

the angels

who did not keep

to their domain.

So here Jude

creates a play

on words.

These angels

who did not obey God,

who did not keep

to their proper place,

God has found

a fitting punishment.

He says in verse 6,

God has kept them

in eternal chains

under gloomy darkness

until the judgment

of the great day.

These rebellious angels

are not running around

the world today

causing havoc.

Jude is clear.

These rebellious angels

are being held

in captivity

for the day

of judgment.

Though,

of course,

there are other demons

who are running around

as we can read about

in the Gospels.

And now this phrase,

gloomy darkness

in Jude 6,

this phrase is used

extensively

in Greco-Roman literature

and it always refers

to the underworld,

a type of hell.

And the great day

that Jude talks about,

of course,

speaks to when Christ

will return

to judge his elect

graciously

and to judge

the wicked

justly.

So by now,

you should be noticing

the theme

in these examples.

Both the Exodus

generation

of Israel

and the rebellious angels

turned away from God

to worship

something else.

and in both cases

it resulted in unbelief

and sexual

perversion.

Jude drives the point

home with one

other similar

example.

He writes in verse 7,

just as Sodom

and Gomorrah

and the surrounding cities,

which likewise

indulged

in sexual immorality

and pursued

unnatural

desire.

The angels

pursued

unnatural desires

by seeking

sexual relationships

with mankind

just as

the citizens

of Sodom

and Gomorrah

saw unnatural

relationships,

namely homosexuality.

So again,

let's remind ourselves

of this story

briefly.

In Genesis

Genesis 18:20

chapter 18,

verse 20,

Moses writes,

Then the Lord

said,

Because the outcry

against Sodom

and Gomorrah

is great,

and their sin

is very grave.

I will go down

to see whether

they have done

altogether

according to the

outcry that has

come to me,

and if not,

I will know.

So after God

declares this

to Abraham,

Abraham intercedes

on behalf

of his nephew

Lot,

who lives

in Sodom.

And you all

know the deal.

God says

he will spare

Sodom if there

are but ten

righteous persons

in that city.

But the story

continues in

Genesis chapter 19,

Genesis 19:1–8

verses 1 through 8.

And go ahead

and turn there

with me,

because I want you

to see this

for yourselves.

It hits a little

differently as you

read it.

So Genesis chapter 19,

Genesis 19:1–8

verses 1 through 8.

So the outcry is

great against Sodom

and Gomorrah.

Abraham is attempting

to intercede

to save his nephew

Lot.

And so God

sends some angels

to Sodom.

And so Genesis

Genesis 19:1

chapter 19,

verse 1,

we see

the two angels

came to Sodom

in the evening.

And Lot was

sitting in the

gate of Sodom.

When Lot saw

them, he rose

to meet them

and bowed

himself with

his face

to the earth

and said,

My lords,

please turn aside

to your servant's

house and spend

the night

and wash your

feet.

Then you may

rise up early

and go on

your way.

They said,

No, we will

spend the night

in the town

square.

But Lot

pressed them

strongly.

So they turned

aside to him

and entered

his house.

And he made

them a feast

and baked them

unleavened bread

and they ate.

But before they

lay down,

the men of the

city, the men

of Sodom,

both young

and old,

all the people

to the last

man,

surrounded the

house.

And they

called to Lot,

Where are the

men who came

to you tonight?

Bring them

out to us

that we

may know

them.

And Lot

went out

to the men

at the

entrance,

shut the

door after

him and

said,

I beg you

brothers,

do not

act so

wickedly.

Behold,

I have

two daughters

who have

not known

any man.

Let me

bring them

out to you

and do

to them

as you

please.

Only do

nothing

to these

men,

for they

have come

under the

shelter

of my

roof.

So notice

the similarities

for why Jude

is using

this passage.

These men

of Sodom

were seeking

what they

thought would

be two

men,

so they're

guilty of

homosexual

desires.

But we

saw in

verse 1

that these

two men

are actually

angels.

So the

story of

Sodom and

Gomorrah

is very

similar to

the one

Jude referenced

about the

rebellious

angels.

Unnatural

relations,

sexual

perversions,

and uncontrolled

licentiousness

describe all

these stories.

And this

story in

Genesis in

particular is

gut-wrenching

because as

the reader we

can already

see what is

coming from

a mile away.

The angels

came intending

to stay

downtown,

but Lot

begs them to

do otherwise

because he

knows what

happens downtown.

He knows how

wicked his

city is.

And even

though Lot

successfully gets

them to stay

at his home,

it doesn't

spare them

this

confrontation,

Moses makes

it plain,

every single

male without

exception comes

to surround

Lot's

home.

Now think

about what

that implies.

I mean,

these men

of Sodom

must have

seen the

angels enter

at the

gates,

and they

must have

talked up

a big

perverted

hub-hub

to all the

other men

in the

city,

something to

arouse all

of them

that they

would all

get together

and head

to this

house.

What kind

of city

is that?

And what's

perhaps the

most astonishing,

the most

disheartening,

is the fact

that Lot

acts in

wickedness

himself to

protect these

angels.

He offers

up his

virgin daughters

as a sort

of compensation.

I mean,

how sick

and perverted

is that?

And so

you know

how the

famous story

ends.

Genesis

Genesis 19:24–25

chapter 19

verses 24

through 25

says,

Then the

Lord rained

on Sodom

and Gomorrah

sulfur and

fire from

the Lord

out of

heaven,

and he

overthrew

those cities

and all

the valley

and all

the inhabitants

of the

cities,

even what

grew on

the ground.

Nothing

could be

left,

no stone

unturned.

This level

of wickedness,

apart from

any kind

of repentance,

demanded

swift and

immediate

judgment

from God

who judged

them justly.

And here's

the thing,

too,

it wasn't

merely this

one incident

of isolated

homosexual

behavior.

It was a

lifestyle

of rebellion.

This sin

did not just

happen,

but it was

celebrated,

it was practiced,

and it was

normal for

these cities.

And the

prophet Ezekiel

makes it

clear that

there were

a number

of issues

just beyond

this perversion.

He says

in chapter

16,

verse 49

through 50,

Behold,

this was

the sin

of your

sister Sodom.

She and

her daughters

had pride,

excess of

food,

and prosperous

ease,

but did not

aid the poor

and the needy.

They were

haughty and

did an

abomination

before me,

so I

removed them

when I

saw it.

So everything

about these

cities was

backward.

Everything

they did

demonstrates

that they

denied God

as Lord

over their

life,

much like

the apostate

teachers

whom Jude

confronts.

So again,

Jude assumed

his readers

knew their

Old Testament

very well.

Hence,

he's able to

rapidly fire

off these

examples with

very little

explanation.

He knows

his audience

understands

the significance

of these

references to

the detail.

And if there's

anyone here

today who

had no

idea what

Jude was

referencing in

the Old

Testament,

then that

should serve

as a bit

of a wake-up

call.

It's time

to get

serious about

studying God's

Word and

not just the

New Testament,

but the

Old,

which our

Bible is

predominantly

made up

of.

It's 75%

of our

Bible.

It's not a

portion of

the Bible

that we

should unhitch

from our

Christian living.

It's not a

portion of

the Bible

that, as

some would

say, is

just so

irrelevant,

which is an

erroneous

claim.

But the

Old Testament

is extremely

relevant for

today.

Paul told

Timothy in

2 Timothy

3.16,

he said,

all Scripture

is breathed

out by God

and profitable

for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

for training

in righteousness.

In Jesus'

high priestly

prayer in

John 17.17,

he says,

sanctify them

in the

truth.

Your

word is

truth.

And the

crazy thing

we often

forget about

both those

New Testament

passages is

that they

are primarily

talking about

the Old

Testament.

That's

primarily

what they

had.

In Jesus'

case,

that's all

he had.

So he's

saying,

sanctify them

in the

Old Testament.

Your Old

Testament is

truth.

So you'll

never understand

your New

Testament apart

from a deep,

intimate knowledge

of the Old

Testament.

And more

importantly,

you will not

have a deep

and intimate

knowledge and

understanding

of God

because you're

ignoring 75%

of what he

has to

tell you.

So I

would pray

just spend

time,

study how

to study

the Old

Testament if

that's what

it takes,

but spend

time in

the Old

Testament.

There is

life,

goodness,

beauty,

treasures there

to behold.

And so you

might be

wondering,

okay, I

get it,

the Old

Testament is

supposed to

matter,

but what are

all these

examples from

Jude meant

for?

What is

Jude trying

to accomplish?

How is

all this

talk about

apostates

sanctifying

me today?

Well, the

second half

of verse

7 in

Jude, go

back there

with me,

the second

half of

Jude in

verse 7,

he says

of all

three

examples,

he says

they serve

as an

example by

undergoing a

punishment

of eternal

fire.

So these

apostates,

these three

examples from

the Old

Testament,

they serve

as an

example to

the church

by undergoing

a punishment

of eternal

fire.

So not an

example to be

followed,

but as a

warning.

The emphasis

in Jude 5

through 7,

which you've

probably seen

by now,

is that in

all three

cases,

not only was

there false

teaching,

not only was

there perversion

of the

faith,

but in

all three

cases they

were judged,

judged with

condemnation by

our righteous

God.

So this

leads us to

our second

application.

Application

number two,

consider the

fool's

end.

I'm going

to blur our

first application

into this

one.

If you know

your Old

Testament well,

or your New

Testament for

that matter,

then you're

not surprised

to hear me

call these

apostates

fools.

In the New

Testament,

Jesus ends

his entire

Sermon on

the Mount

by contrasting

the wise

man who

builds his

house on

the rock,

referring to

believers,

with the

fool who

builds his

house on

the sand,

referring to

the one who

does not

repent,

the one who

does not

believe.

And we

see in

Matthew 7

Matthew 7:24–27

verse 24

to 27

that the

fool who

builds his

house on

the sand

is destroyed

when God

comes to

judge the

world.

He's destroyed

by the winds,

the floods,

and the

rains.

So Jesus,

being the

absolute most

knowledgeable

person of

the Old

Testament,

makes a

very typical

Old Testament

argument,

compares,

he contrasts

the way of

the wise,

the way of

the fool.

Psalm chapter

Psalms 1:1–2

1 verses 1

through 2,

it's pretty

well known

here.

Right away

the psalmist

creates this

contrast.

He writes,

blessed is

the man,

so this man's

blessed,

he's the wise

man,

the believer,

right?

Blessed is

the man

who walks

not in

the counsel

of the

wicked,

nor stands

in the

way of

sinners,

nor sits

in the

seat of

scoffers,

but his

delight is

in the

law of

the Lord,

and on

his law

he meditates

day and

night.

Do you

see that

contrast?

The

blessed

man

opposed

to

the

wicked

man?

And

that psalm

ends with

a reflection

on the

way of

the

wicked

or the

fool,

as opposed

to the

way of

the

blessed.

Psalm

Psalms 1:4–6

chapter 1

verses 4

through 6

says,

the wicked

are not

so,

but are

like shaft

that the

wind drives

away.

That's

judgment

language.

Therefore,

the wicked

will not

stand in

the judgment,

nor sinners

in the

congregation

of the

righteous.

For the

Lord knows

the way

of the

righteous,

but the

way of

the wicked

will perish.

So there's

this contrast,

there's this

reflection

on where

the righteous

will end

and where

the wicked

will end.

In Proverbs

Proverbs 1:8–19

chapter 1

verses 8

through 19,

I'll summarize,

but Solomon

warns his

son not

to join

the works

of the

wicked,

who desire

to steal

and murder.

And Solomon

concludes by

considering the

end of both.

He says in

verses 17

through 19,

but these

men,

referring to

the wicked,

but these

men lie

in wait

for their

own blood.

They set

an ambush

for their

own lives.

Such are

the ways

of everyone

who is

greedy

for unjust

gain.

It takes

away the

life of

its

possessor.

Simply put,

Solomon is

saying,

my son,

do not

go this

way because

you will

die

eternally.

So this

kind of

contrast,

this kind

of example

or warning

is laden

throughout

the entire

Bible.

and we

have to

be careful.

This

kind of

rhetoric

does not

mean we

go around

town like

a Pharisee

and point

out every

kind of

sinner and

publicly

thank God

we are

not like

them,

whether

they're a

tax collector,

adulterer,

murderer,

liar,

whoever.

That's not

what this

means.

If there

is one

reaction we

should have

to the

sinner,

knowing their

end,

knowing their

doom if

they don't

repent and

believe,

it should

be

compassion,

it should

be merciful,

loving,

and kind,

it should

especially

be hopeful.

So if you

paid a close

attention to

the examples

that Jude

shares,

you probably

noticed that

God showed

as much

grace in

those historical

moments as

he did

judgment.

In the

Exodus,

remember,

he saved

the people

out of

Egypt.

He spared

those who

repented.

In the

case of

Sodom and

Gomorrah,

Lot,

who acted

wickedly,

was spared.

So the

implication

for us

that even

the likes

of false

teachers,

there is

always hope

if they

repent and

believe in

Christ upon

hearing the

gospel.

I think of

the Apostle

Paul who

wrote most

of our

New Testament.

He denied

Christ and

attacked

Christians.

But upon

being confronted

with Christ,

being confronted

with the

gospel,

Paul repented

and became

one of the

greatest

Christians in

history.

So we

should not

bash these

people or

treat them

poorly or

think ourselves

better,

but we

should love

these people,

pray for

these people,

witness to

these people

with the

gospel.

So that

should be

our battle

cry to

any would-be

intruders,

any would-be

persecutors

from within.

And then

lastly,

there is

just one

closing

application.

I know

there are

only two,

but a

closing

application

application.

I'll just

tell you

this text

weighed heavily

this week

for me

because it's

a lot of

doom and

gloom.

It's a lot

of judgment

language.

And that's

a true reality

that we need

to be sober

and thinking

about and

praying through

and confronted

with.

This scripture

is profitable

for us to

consider.

It should

cause us

to evangelize,

cause us

to be broken

for the lost.

But I think

it's significant

that Jude

says to the

church who

knew the

Old Testament

so well

that he still

decides to

remind them

if they know

it so well

why do they

need a

reminder?

Because they're

people.

They're like

you and me.

They forget.

They're dumb.

They seek

witness left

and right.

And more

importantly,

they forget

who God

really is.

And so I think

it's important

that we remind

each other

not only of

the hard

truths about

judgment

and the fact

that God

is going

to punish

the wicked,

that that is

inevitable and

that is a

real eternal

reality.

But we should

also remind

ourselves that

this is just,

that this is

good,

and that God

is gracious

and kind to

save,

though we

don't deserve

it.

To remind

ourselves this

is not the

full picture,

but that God

is desiring to

save people if

they would only

repent and

believe.

And so that's

why I say we

have great hope

even for the

likes of false

teachers,

even for those

who know the

gospel,

have seemingly

rejected it,

even they are

not beyond

this grace if

they place

faith in

Christ.

So to that

end, let's

pray.