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2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

December 11, 2013

Jude 5-11

  1. Recalling our last lesson, Jude states his heart's desire was to write on the more uplifting subject of their common salvation in Jesus Christ. However, because many were turning away from the faith there was a serious need to warn them of the growing apostasy (false teaching) and challenge them to contend earnestly for the faith. The Lord Jesus warns us of these "wolves in sheep's clothing” in Matthew 7:15-20. Paul also warned of this coming turning from the faith in l Timothy 4:1-2. So the Spirit turns Jude’s desire to speak about their salvation to teaching about false teachers. Often times the preacher might have a sermon in mind, but the Spirit leads the minister to teach on a subject that doesn’t seem as appealing. This message is not appealing, but it is necessary for the church. Most of our troubles will not come from the outside, but the inside of the church. Jude stated in verse 4 that these individuals have crept in or slipped in unbeknownst to the church. These false teachers are like termites who do damage from the inside out. The Spirit of God pricks Jude to write and warn the church of the false teaching that was leading the saints away from the true Christ.

  2. Verses 5-7. Jude states to his audience that they already know what he is about to share, but just to remind them he wants to state it again. Jude recalls three Old Testament situations where God had to act in a disciplinary action. Jude wants to paint the picture that the false teachers are actually leading the people to be in position to incur the wrath of God. Reminding his audience of this is to make them keenly aware of the consequences of the false teachings.

    1. The first thing Jude mentions is that God delivered all the Israelites out of Egypt, but did not deliver all of them into the promise land. He brought all out, but did not bring all in. Many who came out of Egypt rejected God in the wilderness. Their rejection of God and their lack of trust led to their demise in spite of the fact that God loved them. Jude probably wants his audience to remember that they are not exempt from the discipline of God. The false teaching was tempting because it taught the people that God would not discipline them after they were saved. Their logic went like this “If you are God’s child he won’t discipline you.” This meant that one could act contrary to God without God’s discipline. Of course this was a false teaching, but it was tempting to believe because it gave one a license to sin.

    2. The second thing Jude mentions is the angels who fell from Heaven. The angels were created higher than humankind, but were disciplined to a state lower than humankind because of their disobedience. God created them greater than man and with more authority, but he still disciplined them. They were his creations and great they were, but their greatness could not excuse them from the consequences of their disobedience.

    3. The third instance Jude mentions is that of Sodom and Gomorrah. What most people don’t recall is that these were two great cities. So great it seemed like nothing could topple them. God judged those great cities because of their sexual sin. The people of those cities had become sexually decadent and had been that way for so long they assumed that there would be no consequence for their lifestyles. How wrong they were.

    4. The point of these three examples is that God will deal with sin. And the sin of the false teachers would not be overlooked.

  3. Verses 8-10. The word used by Jude for dream (ers) is not the word used to refer to a normal dream. This word refers to a confused state of the soul, an abnormal imagination that holds the dreamer captive by ungodly sensuality. In other words, their teachings are rooted in their delusional and sinful minds warped by sin. Jude explains that these unregenerate false teachers, masquerading as speaking for God, will eventually expose themselves as the sinners they are. In time, their immoral hearts will be revealed and they will be seen for whom they are. One mark of these false teachers is that they hate authority. God's plan is that His ministers are first responsible to Him and are accountable to the local congregation as it follows God's word. The false teacher will only be passively submissive the authority of God's word and rejects the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of God's word. They presented themselves as more enlightened and superior than the members of the congregation. Not only are they ungodly dreamers, rejecters of authority, they also make claims about angels that are arrogant in the least. In verse 9, Jude reminds his readers that even the great archangel Michael did not resort to being slanderous to the devil himself, but simply said “Lord rebuke you.” The false teachers apparently were making boastful and slanderous statements as if they were God. If the angels don’t act like God surely no human can. Yet the false teachers were making slanderous statements about the true teachers of God about things they knew nothing about and what they did compliment was the very things that would destroy them and their followers. They would condemn the righteous but affirm the unrighteous. Jude calls them irrational animals.

  4. Verse 11. Jude again uses a threefold example of what is really the motivation behind these false teachers; selfishness, greed, and a desire to be first. See Genesis 4 concerning Cain, Numbers 22 concerning Balaam and Numbers l6 concerning Korah. The main idea here for the readers is that the false teachers always have a selfish motive for their teaching against the true message of Jesus. In these three examples each person put his personal agenda before God. Cain gives God his leftovers, Balaam does what God told him not to do simply because he can’t resist the money offered to him, and Korah rejects God’s choice of leader because he was power hungry and wanted to be the leader himself. Power, money and selfish desires (usually sex) are all too often the underlining motivation for false teachers. .

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