Warnings from the Past

When our diocesan bishop, Bishop Dan Gifford, was consecrated as bishop about two years ago now,

don't hold me to that, two years, one and a half years, two and a half years, around two years

ago, he made vows. And among those vows, the archbishop who was consecrating our bishop

asked a number of questions. But this question he asked Bishop Dan,

be you ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine

contrary to God's word, and both privately and openly to call upon and encourage others to do

the same. And Bishop Dan answered, I am ready, the Lord being my helper. And how would Bishop Dan do

that? The answer is found actually in a question that was asked to him two questions before. And

the question the archbishop asked Bishop Dan was this, are you persuaded that the holy scriptures

contain sufficiently all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation through faith

in Jesus Christ? And are you determined out of the same holy scriptures to instruct the people

committed to your charge and to teach or maintain nothing as required of necessity to eternal salvation,

but that which you shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the same?

Bishop Dan answers, I am so persuaded and determined by God's grace.

We continue in Jude, the second week. And if you remember two weeks ago, we looked at verses one to four,

where Jude, he wrote a letter to a church imploring the church to contend for the faith because

of false teachers that had crept into the church with all sorts of erroneous and strange doctrine.

False teachers. And how this contending of the faith was for a faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

And how would we contend for the faith as Jude asked us to? It was to stick to God's word.

God's unchanging Bible that begins in Genesis, and I mean the entirety of the New Testament wouldn't be written by this time,

but it had in view the entirety of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,

to cling to the truth that is given within these pages.

The church, Jude said, is always going to need to contend for the gospel

because the church will always find itself full of false teachers.

We saw that in verse four of Jude, where Jude said,

for long ago, or sorry, back to the beginning of verse four,

for certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation.

That is to say, there's always been a mixed bag in the church amongst God's people,

and they need to be opposed.

Jude tells us that

that we need to contend for the faith.

And how do we contend for the faith?

How do we push back against the faith?

Well, we look back to the Scriptures,

and he tells us to remember,

and he reminds us of

three specific examples in our text today,

but there will be nine total that he reminds the listeners of in this short letter.

Instances in the Old Testament where false teachers,

erroneous and strange doctrine, have made their way into the church.

We're going to be looking at verses five to seven,

and I'll confess to you that

verses five and six seem to be pretty straightforward.

I mean, verse seven seems to be very straightforward as well,

but verse seven, it'll touch on something that is a highly sensitive issue

within our culture here in Canada, in Ottawa, amongst us,

friends, family,

and it is the topic of same-sex relations.

So, as we go through this,

pray that the Lord would guide me,

but also give yourselves ears to hear what the Lord would have to speak to you

on this about this morning.

But the three examples, going back to these three examples

that Jude wants to draw our attention to,

examples of false teachers within the church,

verse five, he gives the example of the Israelites

that died in the wilderness after the Exodus because of unbelief.

The second is the example of the fallen angels of Genesis six,

but also in Isaiah and Ezekiel,

who rejected God's authority.

And then finally, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah

and the three other cities, the people of the plain

from the early chapters of Genesis

who deny God's good design for creation.

So, Jude here is saying,

listen, there's false teachers in your midst

and this is nothing new.

Remember how God has dealt with this in the past,

how these false teachers of the past

or these false teachers of the present

are bringing nothing new

because we've seen it all in the past.

Unbelief, rejection of God's authority

and a denial of God's good design for creation.

And like I mentioned,

these warnings tell us that God

is a God of judgment

and that this doesn't, in a sense,

vibe well with our live and let live culture,

this YOLO, you do you,

even going back a few decades,

you know,

you know,

stay out of the business of the bedroom.

They are very controversial things to talk about,

God's judgment.

But what they do do

is communicate to us

the goodness of God's will

for our people,

for the entire world

and how God is the source of all life and light

and how he is completely against evil.

And he is completely for us.

And friends, this is good news.

So, remember that the point of Jude's letter

is for us to contend for the faith,

but to also to be so,

in a sense,

taken by the goodness

and love and grace of Jesus

that we would have no other desire

but to contend for the faith

because it is such a beautiful

and precious thing.

So let's jump right into it,

verse 5,

and we'll see how this example

from where the Israelites

died in the wilderness

helps us to understand

a bit of the nature

of these false teachers.

Look at verse 5 with me.

Now I want to remind you,

although you once fully knew it,

that Jesus who saved the people

out of the land of Egypt

afterward destroyed

those who did not believe.

So the first of these warnings

is about the Israelites,

God's chosen people,

those Israelites who God rescued

from Egyptian slavery,

an Egyptian slavery that was

centuries long,

that was incredibly oppressive.

The Exodus,

as it is called,

is really the prototype

of salvation.

It's all throughout the Bible,

and it is a picture of God

unilaterally taking a people

out of slavery,

defeating their enemies,

making them into a nation

called after God's own name,

and settled in a land

flowing with milk and honey,

a land of bounty,

of eternal joy.

He sends his messenger Moses,

and with a strong hand

and an outstretched arm,

he destroys Egypt.

It's a wonderful story,

an incredible story,

of God saving his people.

But,

and this is a very big but,

not all the people of Israel

who were brought out of Egypt

saw the fullness of God's salvation.

Look at the second part of verse 5.

It says this,

afterward,

the people of Israel

were destroyed by Jesus

because they did not believe.

These people

who were brought out of Egypt,

who saw miracles upon miracles,

saved by God

in no uncertain terms,

would spend time in the desert,

and their faith began to wane.

They were impatient with Moses at Sinai.

They rejected God's good law

because they were tired of,

oh, sorry,

they rejected God's good law

for they did not want to submit,

so instead they create

a golden calf to worship.

They grumbled against God

because they were tired

of heavenly food

in the desert.

And then finally,

they feared the inhabitants

of the promised land

even though God promised

to give them victory.

Interestingly,

in morning prayer,

we pray Psalm 95 often.

Actually,

every time we pray morning prayer,

and it's this prayer

that helps us

to not be stiff-necked

like the Israelites

who tested God

and didn't believe in God

and put God to the test

when God is not to be tested.

God calls this generation stiff-necked.

He calls them hard-hearted.

He calls them those

that have gone astray,

people marked with unbelief.

The entire generation

was left to die in the desert.

This multitude of people

rescued out of Egypt

and only a remnant

gets to go into the promised land.

Not even Moses himself,

God's messenger,

enjoyed the land of milk and honey.

Unbelief described here,

it has to be said,

is different than struggling

with a doctrine

or having a season of doubt.

The unbelief that we see

in the story of the Israelites

is rooted in a refusal

to make God Lord and Master.

It is a refusal

to believe in and act upon

the promises of God

given for the benefit

and flourishing of his people.

It's to say, in a sense,

to hell with you God.

God, we have the corner

on what is good

and true and beautiful.

Our vision of the good life

is better.

A golden calf is better

than a God who gives a law.

It is a rejection of God,

ultimately calling God a liar.

Now, if you know the story,

you'll remember

that this doesn't just happen

in one instance,

but it's a slow progression

of unbelief,

of rejection of God,

of calling him a liar.

In the same way

that we see

that the false teachers

have slowly crept

into the church,

verse 3,

it says,

unnoticed.

Friends,

this is a stark,

stark warning

for the church.

It's a stark warning

because

unbelief

is hard to spot.

We want to say,

and this is very true.

This is a rock-solid faith

that can handle

your toughest questions

and struggles.

Ask hard questions.

It's a very good thing.

But unbelief

can creep in

to the church

in ways that seem,

in a sense,

very authentic.

I am just,

I struggle with this aspect

of this doctrine of God.

I don't like it.

But there's no real wrestling.

There's no real desire

to submit

a knee,

bend a knee

to submit to God

and this unbelief grows

and it grows

and it grows

and it grows

until

it is

a glaring,

glaring issue.

And you ask,

how did this happen?

But it's also

a stark warning

to the church

because for us,

it tells us

that it's not enough

to play the part

of the Christian.

It is not enough

to pretend

but we need to be people

that believe in

and act upon

the promises of God.

The call is for God's people

always

to act

in an authentic way

towards Him.

To be real

about our faith.

To try

to confess

that we struggle

and we

fail

a hundred times.

Lord,

please give me

forgiveness.

Give me the grace.

to try

the one hundred

and one

a hundred

and one

a hundred

and first

a hundred

and tenth

time.

I messed that up.

But you see the point

that we need

to be authentic

with God.

Notice that I didn't

say perfect.

Notice that perfection

is not anywhere

at all

within this

call to

authenticity

in faith.

faith.

No,

but authenticity

is what

he desires.

To be

who we are

called to be

by God's strength.

To look to Him

when we fail.

To continue to try.

To continue to bend

a knee

to Christ.

In a sense,

this faith

is the anti-virtue

signaling faith.

It is not

the faith

that

it is

the type

of faith

that pretends

to be

virtuous

and

to

put on

a face

and to be

well put together

but an empty

vacuous faith

is a faith

that God

rejects

completely.

It is a

stark warning

that we

will not be

a people

of unbelief.

We have to

remember that

the faith

that embraces

God's grace

and salvation

is the same

faith that

seeks to

obey Christ

in this

Christian life.

They are

inseparable.

And that

does not

mean that

somehow

we need to

do good works

to be saved.

No,

if we are

saved,

it stands

in a sense

that we will

then seek

to obey.

The sign

of true

faith is

an obedient

one.

The letter

of James

in a sense

touches on

that a

number of

times.

Where there

is saving

faith,

there is

obedient

faith.

So Jude

is warning

the church

that God's

covenant

community,

just like

the Israelites

who are God's

very precious

people,

their fate

would be the

same if

unbelief takes

root in their

church,

in their

lives.

And the

people of

Israel were

destroyed in

the desert.

It is a

very sobering

call and

it speaks to

the reality

that apostasy

is real

within the

church,

amongst

God's

people.

Jude is

calling us

to work out

our salvation

with fear and

trembling and

holding up in a

sense a mirror

to us that we

may see the

ways in which

unbelief are

destroying,

is destroying

our faith.

Not to

shame us

so that we

can wallow

in our,

in a sense,

shame and

despondency,

but rather that

we would turn

from our

wickedness and

live to cast

our entire

life upon the

mercy of

Christ,

that we may

repent and

believe afresh

in God's most

holy gospel,

that good news

that God's

salvation is the

only salvation,

and that his

promises are the

only true

promises,

and that his

blessing is the

only true

blessing that our

hearts ache for.

Jude is warning

the church because

the church is

always a mixed

bag.

It is always

tares and

wheat together.

It is always

sheep and

goats together.

other.

It is always

people, in a

sense, that

will worship

on a Sunday,

but some will

see glory and

others'

damnation.

It is very

sobering.

By the way,

only God

knows who

are truly

his.

And that's

not to say

that we can't

have assurance

of salvation.

I think

assurance of

salvation is a

very important,

critical,

real promise

that we can

embrace.

And I think

if that bothers

you as a

Christian,

that am I

truly saved,

and it is

annoying at

your heart,

that might be

because the

Lord is actually

in your heart,

at work,

in you,

drawing you

continually to

himself.

But it is a

problem when

there's an

apathy that

lives deep

within you.

You know,

it is a

lot easier

to preach

a sermon

that is like

a feel-good

sermon,

or like God

is going to

heal you,

or God

is going to

help you,

in a sense,

with an

emotional

breakthrough,

or he can,

in a sense,

be a comfort

to you in a

weak time.

You can nail

a sermon that

preaches real

well.

Talking about

judgment is

harder,

but let me

just say

this,

there is

fantastic joy

in godly

sorrow.

Godly sorrow

is a gift

from God

that will

lead you

to green

pastures,

into

beautiful,

eternal

relationship

with God

forever,

to deep

assurance of

salvation,

because you

realize that

you have

nothing in

yourself to

save you

from the

reality of

your darkness,

and your

brokenness,

and your

bentness,

and the

evil that

resides within

you,

but only God

extends his

hand to you,

and only by

his grace can

lift you up.

And that

begins, in a

sense, with

knowing our

sins.

That's why we

go through the

Ten Commandments

during the

Lenten season.

That's why we

don't skip over

parts of the

Bible that speak

of judgment.

Godly sorrow

is a beautiful

and joyful

thing, because

it leads us

to Christ.

Unbelief is a

problem in the

church, and it

will result in a

rejection of the

authority and

lordship of

Christ.

In this next

example, in

verse 6, we'll

see just that.

Jude is going

to turn our

attention now to

the fallen

angels.

Let's read

verse 6.

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.

What we see in

this verse, in

a sense, is how

angels became

demons and

would ultimately

include Satan

himself.

But before we

get into it,

just a brief

note.

On Sunday, it's

easy to talk

about supernatural

things.

Monday through

Saturday, if I'm

connecting with

an unbeliever or

say a friend that

doesn't believe in

anything, and they

were to press me,

do you believe in

angels and demons

and supernatural

things?

I would say

yes, but I

would be a bit

embarrassed, because

I live, in a

sense, in the

material world.

What I see, what

I hear, what I

smell, what I

touch, what I

can taste, what

can be proved, in

a sense, by

science, and what

seems rational, that

is what I like to

believe in.

And if you're

anything like me,

you can relate, that

the idea of

talking about

angels and

demons seems in

the realm of

fantasy and myth,

potentially.

But I want to

just, if you

bear with me, to

just talk about

this for a minute.

Our faith is a

faith that hinges

on an unseen

God, who created

everything that has

been created.

Our faith is one

that hinges on

God taking on

human flesh, yet

remaining fully

God and living

with us, amongst

us, dying for us,

and rising from an

actual grave because

he was actually

dead.

In short, our

faith hinges on

the supernatural,

things that we

can't, in a sense,

prove empirically.

The Bible is not

meant to be proved

empirically.

We don't apply the

scientific method to

the Bible.

And in a sense, in a

time and culture

where materialism and

a hyper-rationalism and

a modernity that

kind of, that leads

the charge and that

is, in a sense, the

zeitgeist, it is

hard to then say

that there is a

spiritual, a

supernatural world,

but our faith hinges

on it.

There is no going

about it another

way.

But consider that

we as a culture, a

very modern,

rational culture,

we love a good

story.

We love a good

story.

And often the

stories that we

love are fantasy.

They are science

fiction.

They talk about

magic.

They talk about

dragons and other

worlds and

supernatural powers.

And it's as if

we, who spend

billions of

dollars consuming

this kind of

media, it's as if

we want to

believe it,

but we just

can't.

love.

So instead, we

fill our minds

so full of

fantasy and

science fiction

and space

and in all

sorts of

superheroes and

all of that

because in a

sense, we are

a people who

live in a

disenchanted age

that cannot

somehow shake a

longing for

enchantment.

I would put

forward to you

that speaks to

our collective

knowledge that

there must be

something more

than we can

encounter with

just our

senses.

There has to be

something more

than just the

here and the

now.

There has to be

something supernatural.

Something to

ponder.

Why don't we

continue in our

text back to

verse 6.

So Jude shares

with the church

this other

example of

how God is

rejected, how

false teaching

ultimately is this

rejection of the

authority of God.

But in this

case, it's with

angels who

possessed God

given positions

of authority but

were not satisfied

and rebelled.

We're unsure in

a sense.

The commentators

are unsure of

what specifically

Jude is getting

at.

Is it this

bizarre story from

Genesis 6 of

these creatures

not sure what

they are that

come and have

relations with

human women?

The Bible is

kind of crazy

in a sense.

Crazy not like

crazy just

maybe intense

sometimes.

Or is it

this

story of

these fallen

angels that we

see in Isaiah

and Ezekiel?

Or is it

from these

extra

biblical books

non-canonical

books?

They're called

Sirach and

Jubilees that

speak to this

heavenly fall.

Jude doesn't

specify.

But whatever

specifically he

had in mind,

all such

examples seem

to point to

the same

reality.

And that

reality is

that there

are angelic

beings that

they are put

in authority

by God,

whatever that

authority may

be, and

they rejected

God's

authority and

the authority

that God

had given

them,

rebelling

against God

and now

await final

judgment.

There's an

interesting

wordplay that

Jude uses,

and we don't

see it in our

translation in

the English

Standard Version,

but in

verse 6 it

says,

and the angels

who do not

stay within

their own

positions,

in other

translations it's

this word

kept,

they did

not keep

within their

own positions

of authority,

and here's

the wordplay,

but left

their proper

dwelling,

God has

kept them

in eternal

chains under

gloomy darkness

until the

judgment of

the great

day.

This idea

that they

would not

stay where

God put

them,

so God

is going

to make

them stay

until they

await a

final judgment.

And it

is as if

God is

saying to

us that

those that

teach false

doctrine,

those that

reject God's

authority,

they will

suffer

judgment,

that they

will not

escape the

wrath of

God,

that although

in a sense

it is

delayed,

it is not

absent.

God's

judgment is

real,

and it is

hard to,

in a sense,

talk about

the God

of love

and then

talk about

the God

of judgment

and talk

about his

wrath,

but God's

love is

meaningless

if God

is not a

God of

justice and

judgment and

wrath,

that God's

love is all

the more

beautiful and

grand and

greater than

we could ever

understand if

we only know

that God

hates evil

and hates

injustice

and will

not stand

by when

people are

abused and

neglected and

sold into

slavery and

destroyed and

killed and

lied to and

the list goes

on and on,

that God's

mercy is,

sorry,

God's love is

deeply connected

to his

judgment.

So in the

case of the

angels,

in the case

of the false

teachers,

God hates

what they are

doing and

he will judge

them because

ultimately God

has put in

place all

of what we

see,

he has called

it good and

even though it

is bent and

broken in a

sense now,

God's creation

is good and

anything that

destroys that or

sullies that or

pollutes that,

God does not

care for.

His judgment

in a sense

is a sign

that he is

a loving God.

It is,

in a sense,

for us a

comfort that

people that

try to take

advantage of

their

congregations,

these false

teachers,

that what is

whispered in the

darkness,

will be shouted

from the

rooftops.

They will not

get away with

it.

There are

false teachers

in the church

today.

Oftentimes,

oftentimes they

are prosperity

preachers,

those that

promise breakthrough,

divine healing.

Only if you

sow a seed

right now

are

our

telephones are

being

answered and

you can give

us your credit

cards.

and then the

blessing will

come.

These are

false teachers.

They are

rejecting the

authority of

God to

build up,

in a sense,

their own

kingdom.

Woe to

those people.

I mean,

we'll see it

later on in

verses 8-12.

Woe to

those people.

It's a very

scary thing.

But also,

it can happen

in Bible-believing

churches as well.

the rejection

of God's

authority

for their

own.

Yet,

we are

confronted again

with an

uncomfortable

warning.

We,

likewise,

need to be

aware that

we may

very well

reject the

authority of

God.

Have we

looked at

God's

gospel like a

straitjacket

restricting our

very agency,

our ability

to spread

our wings,

rather than

seeing it as

a wondrous

wedding gown

that he wishes

to adorn us

with?

Have we

been embarrassed

in such a

way as to

deny aspects

of God's

character,

of God's

word,

or the things

that God

has called

us to

stand for,

because they

are prickly?

But,

to be perfectly

honest,

authority is a

bit of a

prickly word,

because

oftentimes,

when authority

is abused or

ill-gotten,

authority is a

disgusting,

horrible thing.

But godly

authority,

God's authority

is not prickly,

but it is

life-giving.

It is life

rightly

ordered.

It is

perfection.

And to live

by God's

authority is

not to be

straitjacketed,

but is to

be adorned

as you

are made

to be

adorned

as the

bride of

Christ.

It is to

live,

in a sense,

in the

fullness of

what it

means to

be a

human being.

Unbelief,

rejection of

God's

authority.

Finally,

in verse

seven,

we see a

denial of

God's good

design for

creation.

Let's read

verse seven.

Just as

Sodom and

Gomorrah

and the

surrounding

cities,

which likewise

indulged in

sexual immorality

and pursued

unnatural

desire,

serve as

an example

by undergoing

a punishment

of eternal

fire.

So we

finally get to

the third

and final

warning of

this triplet,

this example

of Sodom and

Gomorrah and

the three other

surrounding cities,

the cities of

the plain.

I'll just say

Sodom and

Gomorrah or

just Sodom,

but it's a

catch-all for

all five cities

from Genesis

18 and

19.

Jude's warning

is that they

likewise

indulged in

sexual immorality

and pursued

unnatural

desire.

It would

seem,

if we go

back to

verse four,

that these

false teachers

also pervert

the grace of

our God

into sensuality.

The same

idea of

illicit sexual

knowing and

desires.

Jude's warning

is that they

likewise indulged

in sexual

immorality and

pursued unnatural

desire.

They engaged

in homosexual

sex and

were unrepentant

and ignored

warnings and

therefore suffered.

This is the

story of Sodom

and Gomorrah.

There's no way

in a sense to

take the edge

off this verse,

to take the

edge off of

Genesis 18 and

19 unless we

are willing to

bend and break

God's word and

therefore fall

into some kind

of rejection of

God's authority

and unbelief.

Interesting how

these things are

connected.

Unbelief,

rejection of

God's authority,

the denial of

God's good design

for creation,

a bending and

breaking of

God's word.

But if we were

to find an out

for the harshness

and edge of this

verse, it would

go something like

this, and this

is something

that's alive and

well in the

church today.

It would say

something like

this, both

Genesis and

Ezekiel, that's

the other place

where it kind of

goes into a bit

of the sin list

of what Sodom

and Gomorrah

and the surrounding

cities did.

So both Genesis

and Ezekiel speak

of the fertile

land which

produced incredible

blessing for

Sodom and the

surrounding cities.

These people

that lived in

the plain enjoyed

fertile land and

excess food and

prosperous ease,

but did not see

this as a blessing

from God and a

blessing to extend

to others, but

were prideful and

arrogant and

committed, as

Ezekiel says,

abominations and

disgraceful acts.

So what were

those abominations

and disgraceful acts?

Not being

hospitable to the

needy and

neglecting social

justice.

That is, in a

sense, the

apologetic against

seeing Sodom and

Gomorrah as

evil because of

sexual, homosexual

sin.

Although the

neglect of

hospitality and

social justice

certainly was

alive and well

in Sodom and

Gomorrah in the

narrative in

Genesis 18 and

19,

words like

abominations and

disgraceful acts

and vile

wickedness are

not words used

in Scripture to

describe a

breach in

hospitality.

They are used

to describe sex

acts that are

contrary to God's

good and

beautiful design

for sexuality,

which is a

monogamous,

lifelong union

before God and

man between one

man and one

woman that has

in mind the

procreation of

children.

The sin of

Sodom was a

denial of God's

good and perfect

design for life

because it did

not look to

achieve that

design for

marriage but

looked to do

something contrary

to that.

But even more,

it's a denial that

God himself is a

good creator,

that his will is

always and forever

towards goodness

and towards truth

and towards beauty

and towards life

and a love that

is forever expanding

and looking to

bless and to

show kindness

and mercy.

For that is God's

good design for the

marital union.

And the marital

union between one

man and one

woman as a

lifelong union,

that's what it

points to ultimately.

It reflects God's

character.

It reflects God's

very heart to

expand and to

bless and to

extend love and

to see growth and

fruitfulness.

Anything that does

not lead to

goodness, truth,

and beauty on

God's terms is

destructive and

harmful.

So friends, we

need to be careful,

careful not to see

things as morally

neutral that God

calls sinful.

Remember that this

is a warning for

the church and it

is good news for

us.

It is a warning for

the church to

notice, in a sense,

telltale signs of

evil from the past

that have crept into

the church.

So like the people

of Sodom, the

teachers would not

keep or hold fast

to the gospel truth

but instead pervert

the grace of God

to give license to

their own sensuality,

their illicit forms

of pursuing

relations that do

not honor God,

that do not reflect

God's character.

That is to say that

they use the grace

of God, that

beautiful promise

that those who are

in Christ have

their sins forever

taken away,

removed, to give

license to their

embrace of illicit

sexual acts,

contrary to God's

beautiful design

for life.

They reject the

grace of God

and his goodness

as creator and

sustainer of all

things.

Not a popular

thing to say

but friends,

this is the truth

of God's word.

Three things

before we move on

and these are very

important things

and they're all

found in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:9–11

chapter 6

verses 9 to 11.

I'll read these

three verses from

1 Corinthians 6.

Verse 11.

Verse 11.

And such were some

of you, but you

were washed and you

were sanctified, you

were justified in the

name of the Lord

Jesus Christ and by

the Spirit of our

God.

First thing of the

three.

All sins are acts

of unrighteousness

and disqualify us

from eternal life.

Drunkards, swindlers,

revilers, the greedy.

I might have hit on

90% of us in some

kind of way.

Idolaters, there's

100%.

All acts of sin

are unrighteous

and disqualify us

from eternal life.

And that's not to

say that all sins,

in a sense,

they are as

destructive,

but that all sins

are an affront

to God's

perfection and

holiness and

goodness and

righteousness.

righteousness.

The second thing,

we ought not to

deceive ourselves

if our besetting

sin and struggles

are with a

respectable sin.

We too will not

inherit the kingdom

of God.

Respectable sins

are not respectable,

even though they

seem very

respectable.

Easily brushed

away, not as

bad.

Yeah, it doesn't

really bother God,

maybe it

irritates him a

little bit as

a whining child

irritates a

parent, but

ultimately he

loves me, he's

going to give

me what I

want.

Let us not

deceive ourselves,

friends.

Respectable sins

are still sins.

And the third

and final thing,

there is both

forgiveness and

freedom for our

friends and

family, even

ourselves, if we

have embraced or

struggle with

homosexual behavior,

or any sin for

that matter, for

the spilt blood

of Christ on

the cross of

Calvary will

wash clean

anyone who

by faith turns

to him for

cleansing.

There is always

hope in the

gospel.

There is always

time to repent.

Today, if you

will hear his

voice, turn to

him.

God bless you

to

God bless you

and

God bless you

and

let us

dunk on

people that

are pro-LGBTQ

plus because we

are the

righteous people.

We are all

on level zero,

level minus ten,

and God by his

goodness makes us

righteous, not

our own

righteousness, so

therefore we do

not look at other

people in a

judgmental way

and spit at

them in a sense

because they are

dirty or unclean,

because we are

dirty and unclean

if not for the

grace of God.

But when

teachers and

ministers of the

gospel who have

in charge of

them by God

people that they

are to proclaim

the gospel message

and if they are

taking that gospel

and perverting it

so that they may

engage in that

kind of sensuality,

that illicit

behavior that may

or may not include

homosexuality,

and giving license

to it,

woe to them.

Maybe they have

time to repent,

pray that they

will.

In summary,

Jude sums up

verses five to

seven and verse

eight and this is

what he says.

Yet in like

manner these

people also

relying on their

dreams defile the

flesh, reject

authority, and

blaspheme the

glorious ones.

Now this is an

interesting verse

because it sums

up what has

gone before it,

verses five to

seven, but will

also point us to

what Jude will

speak to in the

following verses.

So it kind of

looks back and

looks forward.

And it sums up

verses five to

seven by saying

that the false

teachers who

claim to be

ministers of

God's message,

they're in a

sense dreamer of

dreams.

That's a bit of a

technical term in

the Bible that

speaks to prophets,

but people that

are ministers of

God.

These false

teachers who

claim to be

ministers of

God, but

instead are led

by their selfish

imaginations.

In a sense,

they're just

dreamers.

They're not

dreamers of

dreams.

They're not

prophets.

They're just

dreamers.

They make up

stuff.

They twist the

gospel.

They look at

something and

say, ah, culturally

sensitive text

right here.

It doesn't

apply to us

today.

They reject

God as the

good creator by

using God's

grace as a

license to

engage in all

sorts of

immorality.

And they

reject Christ as

master and

Lord, and they

reject God's

law.

That's the last

little bit when

it says, and

they blaspheme

the glorious

ones.

A lot of

commentators seem

to see that

as at

Sinai, when

God gives

the law to

the people

of Israel,

it is

mediated by

angels.

So in a

sense, they're

saying this is

a rejection of

God's law as

they are

blaspheming the

glorious ones.

These false

teachers, remember,

have crept in

unnoticed.

We'll see more

about what they

have done in

the general

worship of the

church in the

weeks to

come.

But what is

the big

takeaway, in

a sense, of

this section?

It's to