TEACHING NOTES Introduction The letter of Jude is written to the church to warn them against false teachers. False teaching and corrupt doctrine is always a looming danger for any church. Jude wants us to understand the danger, but also helps us to identify false teachers because they often creep into the church unnoticed. Jude 1-7 tells us that these false teachers were leading people into sin. Jude 8-11 tells us another problem: false teachers reject authority and accountability. ‌ Interesting Fact about Jude’s Letter: Many Bible readers may not realize that the content of Jude 4-13 is also found in 2 Peter 2:1-17. Peter quotes this section of Jude and even expounds on it, which helps to give us more understanding of what Jude is trying to say. This is to say that 2 Pet. 2:1-17 tells us how Peter interpreted Jude’s letter. ‌ Jude 3 ESV 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ‌ The Ancient Faith is Our Authority The faith that was “once for all delivered to the saints” is worth contending for because it is our only way to distinguish between truth and error. Without the authority of God’s Word, we are left to the currents of the cultural seas. The Word of God or the Ancient Faith does not need to be changed or adapted to suit the culture. However, the church has a tendency to drift away from the truth. ‌ Jude 4 ESV 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. ‌ Jude 3-7 = As we learned last week, false teachers have crept into the church unnoticed. They are perverting the grace of God into a license to sin, and particularly sexual sin. Jude 3-7 gives three Old Testament examples: (1) Rebellious Israelites, (2) Rebellious angels, (3) Sodom and Gomorrah. ‌ Jude’s Main Points for False Teachers ‌1. They pervert God’s grace. ‌2. They reject authority & accountability. ‌3. There will be unavoidable consequences. ‌ Jude 8 ESV 8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. ‌ Relying on their dreams = These people in the church who have perverted the grace of God into a license for sin are relying on dreams or visions. Prophesy, visions, and dreams were elevated above Scripture in some groups. We also see this happening in the church today. In many (not all) pentecostal or charismatic groups spiritual experiences, prophesy, dreams, and visions are trusted more than Scripture. Trusting in dreams/visions can be dangerous if they are not submitted to Scripture. Dreams, visions, prophesies, and experiences that contradict Scripture must not be trusted and do not come from God. ‌ Defile the flesh = In the context of Jude 4-7, “defile the flesh” refers to sexual immorality. The apostles taught that sexual immorality has greater consequences because “the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). Not only are there physical consequences, but also spiritual consequences. Paul taught that because our bodies are “members of Christ” (1 Cor. 6:15), sexual immorality is an attempt to unite God’s Spirit with sin (1 Cor. 6:17). ‌ Reject authority = This is the main topic of Jude 8-13. The Greek phrase here is atheteo kyriotes, which refers to rejecting or declaring invalid human or supernatural authority. These false teachers reject authority in order to avoid criticism. False teachers refuse to be evaluated or corrected. They reject authority to avoid accountability. ‌ Blaspheme the glorious ones = “Glorious ones” refers to spiritual beings. In the biblical worldview, angels are often described as stars or shining ones. Ezek. 28:12-19 compares the king of Tyre to the shining cherub who rebelled in the Garden of Eden (Satan). Isaiah 14:12-21 refers to Satan as “Day Star, son of Dawn” who wanted to ascend “above the stars of God.” Angels are described as shining stars because they were created to do God’s good will. The false teachers that Jude is addressing are not only rejecting human authority, but also blaspheme the angels who were created by God. These false teachers have no respect for beings who are far more powerful. ‌ False teachers impose their own authority, rely on their own interpretation of Scripture, and refuse to be accountable to others. ‌ Authority & Accountability in the Torah In the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), God ordained a model of authority and accountability in the nation of Israel (the family of God). God’s plan was to be Israel’s King who would shepherd and provide for Israel. God provided Moses as their prophet and leader along with 70 elders. God also provided priests and Levites who would lead and manage the Tabernacle. However, Israel rejected God as their King and demanded a human king. This rejection of God’s authority led to many problems and ultimately led to Israel’s demise. ‌ Authority & Accountability in the Church If we are going to avoid what Jude is addressing, we must understand Biblical authority and accountability within the church. Not only must we understand it, we must be faithfully committed to it. ‌ Christ & His Word — Our #1 authority in the church is Christ and His Word. We do nothing and decide nothing without prayer and Scripture. Our doctrine, teaching, and ministry is submitted to the Word of God alone. Christ is our Good Shepherd and His Word is the non-negotiable law that we live by. ‌ Shepherds & Elders — The Greek word for “pastor” in the New Testament is poimen, which simply means “shepherds” and is only mentioned once (Eph. 4:11-12). Elders are mentioned several times as the overseers of the church. Elders are also shepherds (Acts 20:28) and are men who live out the qualifications found in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Shepherds and elders care for the church and help to provide leadership. All shepherds and elders are approved by the church family and are accountable to the church family. ‌ Deacons & Covenant Members — Deacons and members of the church are equal in authority. In Greek, diakonos simply means “servant.” Deacons are to be Biblically qualified to care for the people in the church (1 Tim. 3:8-13). Covenant members are faithful believers who have officially declared their commitment to the church family. ‌ True disciples submit to the authority of God’s Word and welcome accountability within the church family. ‌ Jude 9 ESV 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” ‌ Michael, contending with the devil = This story of the archangel Michael contending and disputing with the devil about the body of Moses is not found in the Old Testament. There is a similar story in Zech. 3:1-5 where the angel of the LORD contends with Satan over the body of Joshua the high priest. However, Jude is actually referring to a story found in a book called The Assumption of Moses. ‌ He did not pronounce a blasphemous judgment = Unlike the false teachers in Jude who have no respect for authority, Michael does not appeal to his own authority. Michael appeals to the LORD’s authority to rebuke Satan by saying, “The Lord rebuke you.” Satan has abandoned God’s authority, but Michael submits to God as the ultimate authority. Michael also knows that it is not his place to pronounce judgment on Satan. God is the Judge over all. ‌ What is the Assumption of Moses? This was a document written in Hebrew during or just before the first century AD. It was later translated into Greek and then Latin and describes Moses’ last words to Joshua and also prophesies about Israel’s future. The manuscript we have today is probably two documents (Testament of Moses & Assumption of Moses) that were combined into one document at some point. The Latin manuscript we have today is damaged and the last third is missing. However, several early church fathers quote from the last third, which allows us to recreate some of the original text. The last third of the text describes the assumption or ascension of Moses, which is the part from which Jude is quoting. ‌ Jude 10 ESV 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. ‌ These people blaspheme all they do not understand = Peter’s version in 2 Pet. 2:10-11 says, “Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.” ‌ While these false teachers love to rely on their visions and dreams to gain influence, they do not understand what they are dealing with. They are playing with the spiritual realm, but don’t understand the danger. Those who do not respect or understand the power of the enemy will likely be destroyed by him. Jude compares these false teachers to irrational animals because their teachings and behavior are illogical and go against God’s created order. Irrational animals have no self-awareness. These false teachers have no self-awareness to realize their error. ‌ Jude’s Old Testament Examples In Jude 5-7 three Old Testament stories were given as examples of sexual immorality and the consequences that ensued. Now, Jude will give us three more Old Testament stories as examples of rejecting authority. ‌ Jude 11 ESV 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. ‌ Woe to them = The pronouncement of woes is seen throughout the Bible (Num. 21:29; 1 Sam. 4:7-8; Job 10:15; Ps. 120:5; Prov. 23:29; Eccl. 10:16). The majority of woes are found in the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah). The prophets castigated Israel for being swept away into idolatry. Jesus also pronounced a list of woes on the Jewish leaders in Matt. 23; Luke 11 because they relied on their own authority and manipulated the Scriptures for personal gain. In the same way, Jude pronounced woes on these false teachers because they are misleading the church. ‌ The way of Cain = Found in Gen. 4:1-17, the story of Cain is a tragedy of jealousy that led to the first murder. Cain rejected God’s command to rule over sin. So, Cain was exiled and commanded to be a wanderer and to remain alone. But Cain continues to rebel against God by getting married and building the first city, which is filled with violence and sexual immorality. Jude is saying that these false teachers are like Cain and will only get worse in their corruption. ‌ Since unrepentant sin always gets worse, repentance is the only solution. ‌ Balaam’s error = Found in Num. 22-25; 31:16, Balaam is a prophet of Baal and an enemy of God’s people. Balaam is hired by Balak (king of Moab) to curse God’s blessed people, but can only pronounce blessings on them. Later, Balaam led the Israelites to worship Baal and commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab (Num. 25:1-3; 31:16). Jude is comparing this story to the false teachers in the church, who are teaching that sexual immorality is acceptable and good. ‌ When we bless what God calls evil, we have become false teachers. ‌ Korah’s rebellion = Found in Num. 16:1-35, Korah led a rebellion against Moses, who God had ordained as the leader of Israel. Korah rejected the God-ordained authority of Moses and assembled 250 leaders to overthrow Moses. As a result, God opens the ground and Korah along with his rebellious family fell alive into Sheol. Then God consumed the 250 rebellious leaders with fire. Jude is comparing the false teachers in the church to Korah because they reject God’s authority and refuse to be accountable to anyone. ‌ Rebellion always leads to destruction. ‌ How do we honor God’s authority and keep each other accountable? “…contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” —Jude 3 ‌ Conclusion‌ Today we respond with prayer, repentance, recommitment, and worship. We declare that Jesus alone is our King and His Word alone is our foundation for faith and practice. We participate in His body and blood as a celebration of our salvation and a declaration of our allegiance to Christ. ‌