Jude

We all have a situation or two when our mouth got has gotten us into trouble. I have had a few myself. It is a major embarrassment. I dug the hole and fell in, so I had dig myself out. But it usually ends up more of a mess.

It is not unusual for those who are not spiritual to make a lot of untruthful claims in the spiritual realm wanting others to think that they are spiritual. They come up with extra biblical things that are not recorded in the Bible. They say that it was a personal revelation from Jesus or an angel. I am not saying that God cannot speak to and individual in that way. What I am saying is that whatever you hear from angels or a Jesus look alike, you have to put it against the Word of God. If it goes with the Word, believe it and follow it. If it doesn’t, discard it and don’t even think twice about it because it came from the pit of hell.

1John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2Cor. 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Here are general rules I use regarding the claim of new doctrines:
1. If Jesus spoke about it, the Apostles taught about it, then I do it.

2. If it is new (in addition to the Word of God), it is not true. If it is true, it is not new.

Jude 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

The verse starts with "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh," in what way? We have to go back to verses 5-7. Like the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, they were filling themselves with sexual immorality and perversion.

These dreamers, in this case, are the false teachers who teach the grace of God as a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ.

These people reject the authority of God. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Challenge authority." It is a sign of a rebellious attitude of this generation. What they want is whatever their fleshly desires want. In other word, they want to call the shots. But guess what happens when their authority gets challenged? They would hate anyone for it. So it means these people who challenge authority are prideful people and immature childish snobs.

In the darkest days of Israel, society was characterized by a term: every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). Today, that’s the American way!

God loves people with child-like faith, but He doesn’t care for childish people who demand everything their own way. God has a special wood shed for them.

Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

In v. 8, we just read that these dreamers slander celestial beings. Now we are going to see a good example of Michael the Archangel.

The Jewish Apocrypha consists of books and writings included in the Latin Vulgate and accepted in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon, but they were never recognized as part of the canon of Scripture, because they are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, they served a devotional purpose for many believers of ancient times including some of the authors of the New Testament. Jude cites two books of the Apocrypha in his letter. Jude 9 apparently comes from "The Assumption of Moses" and verse 14 comes from "the Book of Enoch."

Jude illustrates the magnitude of their blasphemies through a story from the Assumption of Moses, an apocryphal book that only small portions of have survived. According to the account, the archangel Michael was sent to bury Moses’ body, but Lucifer the devil intercepted him, claiming the body was his. Instead of showing disrespect or fighting against Lucifer, Michael left the matter with the Judge of all creatures, saying, "The Lord rebuke you." The point is this: If Michael weighed his words carefully when addressing the most wicked of angels, how presumptuous was it for the apostates to rail against righteous angels!

By the way, why was Michael disputing about the body of Moses with the devil? Deuteronomy 34:5-6 says this about the death of Moses: So Moses, the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor. But no one knows the grave to this day. Some have said that the devil wanted to use Moses’ body as an object of worship to lead Israel astray into idolatry. But the main point isn’t why Michael was disputing satan, but how he was disputing satan.

Notice that Michael is battling in God’s authority, not his own. If he does this, how much more should we! Some Christians get drunk on the doctrine of "the believer’s authority" and start thinking that they can order the devil around like a lap dog - or speak of him in comical, mocking terms. Follow Michael’s example!

Matt 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Many charismatic denominational people use this verse to claim that we can bind the powers of the demonic forces. Is it true all the time? Yes and no. Yes, God can bind the power of demonic forces any time He chooses. But for us to bind the demonic forces whenever we want, Nah! If that were the case, the demon and his hosts would have been in hell a long time ago. This verse is about forgiving and not forgiving and has nothing to do with binding demonic power.

God hasn’t called us to judge the devil, to condemn the devil, to mock him or accuse him, but to battle against him in the name of the Lord! The balance is that we are in a fight but God is battling through us. It is not good to either sit back or to get prideful. Example: David’s fight against Goliath - "For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands," but David slung the stone (1 Samuel 17)!

We don’t have the foggiest idea what is happening in the spiritual realm other than what the Bible reveals to us. It is nothing more than ignorance and presumption on our part to guess or try to make false doctrines of what we think might happen. A lot of charismatic doctrine today is nothing more than guessing or experiences based on stories. Somehow, the false teachers think that they need to top one another’s guesses. They cannot back their stories with the Word of God. Their stories become a huge pile of lies. Stay away from all that garbage. Don’t just trust them because they stand behind pulpits or Christian Television.

Jude 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

One of the characteristics of apostates is their irreverent reviling of matters they don’t understand. They live by sight, not by faith. They cannot see further than their noses. So if the cannot comprehend or explained something rationally, they reject and mock it.

Another characteristic of false teachers is their irreverent pursuit of animalistic desires. They want what they want, when they want it even using God’s name for the sake of their own advantage. A prime example would be Robert Tilton’s case. He claimed the faith in his TV program viewers’ hearts would cause God to give them back ten fold of the money they gave to his ministry. What did he do with the money he received from old ladies who sent their small amount from their social security checks? He bought Mercedes Benz Convertibles for himself and his wife. Some Christian TV programs are full of false teachers who claim their own doctrines to make money. But the Bible strongly warns against this problem.

1Tim. 6:3-6 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

The apostates consider themselves captains of their own destinies. They therefore toss aside all restraints that don’t suit them and eagerly supply whatever their raging appetites demand. Ironically, in their pursuits of freedom, they become like animals, cased by their own desires.

Gal. 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

D. APPLICATIONS
1) When we sin against God, we are directly challenging His authority.

It translates as pride against God. God will not wink at it, but He will rebuke us and correct us, because He loves us.

If you want to contact the webservant of Calvary Chapel of Sahuarita, please send an e-mail.



	Jude - Contending for the Faith
	Major Mouth Problem
	We all have a situation or two when our mouth got has gotten us into trouble. I have had a few myself. It is a major embarrassment. I dug the hole and fell in, so I had dig myself out. But it usually ends up more of a mess. It is not unusual for those who are not spiritual to make a lot of untruthful claims in the spiritual realm wanting others to think that they are spiritual. They come up with extra biblical things that are not recorded in the Bible. They say that it was a personal revelation from Jesus or an angel. I am not saying that God cannot speak to and individual in that way. What I am saying is that whatever you hear from angels or a Jesus look alike, you have to put it against the Word of God. If it goes with the Word, believe it and follow it. If it doesn’t, discard it and don’t even think twice about it because it came from the pit of hell. 1John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2Cor. 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Here are general rules I use regarding the claim of new doctrines: 1. If Jesus spoke about it, the Apostles taught about it, then I do it. 2. If it is new (in addition to the Word of God), it is not true. If it is true, it is not new. A. BEING THEIR OWN BOSS Jude 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. The verse starts with "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh," in what way? We have to go back to verses 5-7. Like the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, they were filling themselves with sexual immorality and perversion. These dreamers, in this case, are the false teachers who teach the grace of God as a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ. These people reject the authority of God. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Challenge authority." It is a sign of a rebellious attitude of this generation. What they want is whatever their fleshly desires want. In other word, they want to call the shots. But guess what happens when their authority gets challenged? They would hate anyone for it. So it means these people who challenge authority are prideful people and immature childish snobs. In the darkest days of Israel, society was characterized by a term: every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). Today, that’s the American way! Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. God loves people with child-like faith, but He doesn’t care for childish people who demand everything their own way. God has a special wood shed for them. B. A STORY FROM THE BOOK OF ASSUMPTION OF MOSES Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" In v. 8, we just read that these dreamers slander celestial beings. Now we are going to see a good example of Michael the Archangel. The Jewish Apocrypha consists of books and writings included in the Latin Vulgate and accepted in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon, but they were never recognized as part of the canon of Scripture, because they are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, they served a devotional purpose for many believers of ancient times including some of the authors of the New Testament. Jude cites two books of the Apocrypha in his letter. Jude 9 apparently comes from "The Assumption of Moses" and verse 14 comes from "the Book of Enoch." Jude illustrates the magnitude of their blasphemies through a story from the Assumption of Moses, an apocryphal book that only small portions of have survived. According to the account, the archangel Michael was sent to bury Moses’ body, but Lucifer the devil intercepted him, claiming the body was his. Instead of showing disrespect or fighting against Lucifer, Michael left the matter with the Judge of all creatures, saying, "The Lord rebuke you." The point is this: If Michael weighed his words carefully when addressing the most wicked of angels, how presumptuous was it for the apostates to rail against righteous angels! By the way, why was Michael disputing about the body of Moses with the devil? Deuteronomy 34:5-6 says this about the death of Moses: So Moses, the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor. But no one knows the grave to this day. Some have said that the devil wanted to use Moses’ body as an object of worship to lead Israel astray into idolatry. But the main point isn’t why Michael was disputing satan, but how he was disputing satan. Notice that Michael is battling in God’s authority, not his own. If he does this, how much more should we! Some Christians get drunk on the doctrine of "the believer’s authority" and start thinking that they can order the devil around like a lap dog - or speak of him in comical, mocking terms. Follow Michael’s example! Matt 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Many charismatic denominational people use this verse to claim that we can bind the powers of the demonic forces. Is it true all the time? Yes and no. Yes, God can bind the power of demonic forces any time He chooses. But for us to bind the demonic forces whenever we want, Nah! If that were the case, the demon and his hosts would have been in hell a long time ago. This verse is about forgiving and not forgiving and has nothing to do with binding demonic power. God hasn’t called us to judge the devil, to condemn the devil, to mock him or accuse him, but to battle against him in the name of the Lord! The balance is that we are in a fight but God is battling through us. It is not good to either sit back or to get prideful. Example: David’s fight against Goliath - "For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands," but David slung the stone (1 Samuel 17)! We don’t have the foggiest idea what is happening in the spiritual realm other than what the Bible reveals to us. It is nothing more than ignorance and presumption on our part to guess or try to make false doctrines of what we think might happen. A lot of charismatic doctrine today is nothing more than guessing or experiences based on stories. Somehow, the false teachers think that they need to top one another’s guesses. They cannot back their stories with the Word of God. Their stories become a huge pile of lies. Stay away from all that garbage. Don’t just trust them because they stand behind pulpits or Christian Television. C. LIVING BY SIGHT, NOT BY FAITH Jude 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. One of the characteristics of apostates is their irreverent reviling of matters they don’t understand. They live by sight, not by faith. They cannot see further than their noses. So if the cannot comprehend or explained something rationally, they reject and mock it. Another characteristic of false teachers is their irreverent pursuit of animalistic desires. They want what they want, when they want it even using God’s name for the sake of their own advantage. A prime example would be Robert Tilton’s case. He claimed the faith in his TV program viewers’ hearts would cause God to give them back ten fold of the money they gave to his ministry. What did he do with the money he received from old ladies who sent their small amount from their social security checks? He bought Mercedes Benz Convertibles for himself and his wife. Some Christian TV programs are full of false teachers who claim their own doctrines to make money. But the Bible strongly warns against this problem. 1Tim. 6:3-6 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. The apostates consider themselves captains of their own destinies. They therefore toss aside all restraints that don’t suit them and eagerly supply whatever their raging appetites demand. Ironically, in their pursuits of freedom, they become like animals, cased by their own desires. Gal. 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. D. APPLICATIONS 1) When we sin against God, we are directly challenging His authority. It translates as pride against God. God will not wink at it, but He will rebuke us and correct us, because He loves us. 2) We must practice what we learn from the Word of God. If we don’t, we are accountable for what we know and are not doing. 3) We must remember the principle of sowing and reaping. Whether our actions are good or bad, they bring either good results or bad consequences. If you want to contact the webservant of Calvary Chapel of Sahuarita, please send an e-mail.