"Wolves in Sheep's Clothing" Jude

“Failing to Remember God’s Word is Dangerous” Jude vv. 5-7

“Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”

A Sermon Series in Jude

“Failing to Remember God’s Word is Dangerous”

Jude vv. 5-7

Introduction

When our kids were younger Kimberly’s uncle and family were staying with us for a few days, and he was incredibly helpful. He helped me fix my weed eater, he installed an outlet outside, and on one of the days we were working in the attack. If you have ever worked in an attack you will know that it is typically hot, itchy, and difficult. I left to got to the big box store for supplies and while I was there Kimberly called and told me to get some drywall while I was there – David had fallen through the ceiling. Later when David and I were talking he explained that he just got too comfortable walking from rafter to rafter and for whatever reason decided just to step on the insulation in between the rafters, and down he went. One miss step away from disaster.

Satan works like that. He makes dangerous things look safe. He gives us a false sense of security. He makes it easier for us to make a mistake. Satan tries not to scare us to death, but rather to make us think we face little danger of a spiritual fall.

Jude warns of the dangers of false teachers, whose end is destruction. We must be alert for them, and recognize their deception. Earlier in verse 4 is says that false teachers had crept into the church “long ago were designated for this condemnation,” because their sin resembles three well-known events in the OT.

Prayer

Don’t Forget What God Has Already Done (vv. 5-7)

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

Jude continues his warning of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that have crept into the church by reminding them of something they once knew. Often, we don’t need new information, we just need to be reminded of something we already know. To enable believers to contend for the faith once delivered to them, Jude begins by recalling three biblical examples in which God judged those who departed from his ways.

The memory here is not just to recollect these stories. It is to remind them of the stories so that they will take action based on remembering what happens in the stories. All of the stories end in destruction. Hebrews 4:7 “. . . again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” . . . . ., “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” To wake up the apathetic pew person, he gives three lessons from the past:

Remember The Danger of Failing to Persevere in Faith (v. 5)

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

The Israelites exited Egypt victorious. They saw God perform the plaques, ending with the death of the first born. They were spared everyone one of the plagues, and were given the Passover feast to remind them of how God had passed over their households. They exited Egypt plundering the Egyptians as they left.

At Kadesh-Barnea they passed through the Red Sea and watched the Egyptian army drown. They arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and they sent in spies, who came back and gave a report of what they saw. 10 of the 12 reported back that it was impossible to win a victory; only Joshua and Caleb said that it could be done.

But because of their unbelief and rebellious hearts they were not able to enter the promised land – instead that generation was doomed to wander in the desert for the next forty-year. They lost the victory because of their unbelief.

“Amazingly, the Israelites did not believe that the same God who had parted the Red Sea, destroyed Pharoah’s army before their eyes, provided manna from heaven every morning, led them with a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, and provided water from the rock could enable them to overcome the land in Canaan after He had promised to do so all along.”[1]

Paul gives a similar warning as Jude in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, and fall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

Why were they overthrown in the wilderness? Why was God not pleased with them? Because they refused to believe God in spite of the victories God had given them. Jude warns the church that God deals sternly with those who turn their back on Him in unbelief after having seen Him use such wonderful power. This supports our definition of an apostate, “Israel’s judgement was a vivid reminder of what happens to those who, having heard what God expects and witnessed what He can do, still fail to believe.”[2]

The truth of manna, and the parting of the Red Sea, and deliverance from Egypt, the plagues, etc. should have informed and strengthened their faith in the present. God never tells us to refer back to a time in order to show faith, He requires that we have faith in the present. Are you trusting God today, now?

The apostle Paul says, 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” Filling out a card at youth camp, praying a prayer when you were a kid, walking an aisle, getting wet in a tank years ago – are not avenues of assurance. Today, right now, are you looking to the cross, are you trusting in Christ? We must believe and trust God’s Word all the way to the end.

“Israel’s apostacy stands as a warning to all those who think an initial commitment secures their future destiny without ongoing obedience. Those who are God’s people demonstrate the genuineness of their salvation by responding to the warning given.”[3]

Jude wants us to draw a connection between the Israelites and the church today. But remember that Israel was a country (a nation) and the people of God. So, not every circumcised member of Israel was truly circumcised in heart (Deut. 10:16: 30:6; Jer. 4:4).

“Jude constructed an analogy between the saving of Israel out of Egypt (a physical act) and God’s saving act in Jesus Christ, but we ought not necessarily to conclude from this that the Israelites liberated from Egypt were truly circumcised in heart, that they truly belonged to the people of God.”[4] There were those among the Israelites who thought they were God’s people, but their lack of faith showed that they were not.

An apostate is a person who has received light but has no life.

Remember The Danger of Failing to Do What You Have Been Assigned (v. 6)

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—[5]

The second lesson from the past is a reference to angels who lost their position, their vocation. Verse 7 tells us that the sin of the angels was similar to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, sexual immorality and perversion.

Genesis 6:1-4 may give us some insight into what Jude is referring to, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

“The term “sons of God” is translated “angels” in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the original Hebrew text). Also, the Hebrew rendering of “sons of God” is used exclusively in the Old Testament to describe angels.”[6]

These angels left heaven and rebelled against God in order to have relations with humans, thereby losing their position in heaven. These angels of heaven and light now live with the consequence as they are, “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day,” This sin was so severe that God placed the offending angels in chains to prevent them from committing such perversity again. They cannot go back to heaven.

“Scripture does not spell out the specific realms of angelic authority, but there are hints that some are assigned to specific roles (Dan. 10:18-21; Luke 1:18-38).”[7] Jude describes these angels as leaving their dwelling place (and the original language indicates a finality of their leaving) rather than remaining in their proper place of service, and did things they should not have done. They rebelled against God’s plan and design for their lives in order to pursue the lust of their heart. In the context of false teachers and the church, and our being the church – God has a purpose and calling for you here and now, don’t be pulled away from it by anything.

We see pastors and leaders step away from their calling, and pursue things they have no business pursuing. And once that happens there is no going back. What disqualifies a pastor or leader from ministry and is that disqualification permanent?

The church is being warned to wake up from its forgetfulness and apathy and hold a high standard based on the truths of Scripture – the church has a very special calling. James 5:19 says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Remember The Danger of Being Immoral (v. 7)

7 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.

The third historical example or lesson that is to shock us into remembering, Jude gives is Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude is referencing Genesis 19. Two angelic visitors, appearing as humans, came to visit Lot. Lot invited them into his home for the night, and a crowd gathered outside of his house. The men of Sodom wanted the two visitors to be brought outside so that they may engage in homosexual acts with them.

Genesis 19:4-5 “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. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” The angels were not known to be angels; the men from the town thought they were men from out of town.

In an effort to appease the crowd, Lot offers his daughters to them (19:8). They did not want females, they wanted the two men. God strikes the crowd with blindness, but they still grope around looking for Lot’s door. The men of Sodom were consumed with lust for the men, and so God judged them. The angels, Lot and his family make their way out of the city before it is destroyed. “Somewhat like the perverted angels before them, the Sodomites in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh. They too perverted God’s intended design for them by soliciting sexual favors from His holy messengers.

Luke 17:28-30 says, “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Israel’s sin was unbelief. The angels sin was rebellion of their assignment. Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was sexual indulgence, Jude says, “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire.” And when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, they “serve as an example” for all to see. The destruction of these cities is mentioned more than twenty times in the Bible.[8]

Israel stopped doing what they were supposed to do because they didn’t believe God would do what He said, Angels stopped doing what angels were supposed to do because of their lust (they left heaven forever). An entire city was judged because it abandoned living as families were designed to live. What is the common theme? Apostates do not live by faith, they reject authority (especially God’s authority), and they cannot control their sensual passions – they depart from the truth of the gospel.

Israel’s dying in the wilderness because of their unbelief (consequence was not entering the promised land). Angels wanting to have sex with humans (consequence was eternal chains), then humans wanting to have sex with angels (consequence was death by fire and brimstone). Again, Jude’s words are not written to the lost world, it was written to the church. Those that are called, who are the Beloved of God, kept by Christ, and blessed.

Jude calls the apostates who have snuck into the church as false teachers, others. The Others are like the people of Israel, like the angels, and like Sodom and Gomorrah. These Others have fallen from a position of privilege and are headed towards destruction.

The best way to know if you are saved is what you do with the sin in your life.

Do you live each day trusting God and His Word?

Are you submitting to God’s Will for Your Life?

Are you daily turning from the sin in your life?

In 1818, Ignaz Philip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.” A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands. Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death.

After eleven years and the delivery of 8, 537 babies, Dr. Semmelweis lost only 184 mothers. He spent much of his life lecturing and debating with his colleagues. Once he argued, “Puerperal fever is caused by decomposed material, conveyed to a wound… I have shown how it can be prevented. I have proved all that I have said. But while we talk, talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash… wash your hands.”

But virtually no one believed him. Doctors and midwives had been delivering babies for thousands of years without washing, and no outspoken Hungarian was going to change them now! Semmelweis died insane at the age of 47, his wash basins discarded, his colleagues laughing in his face, and the death rattle of a thousand women ringing in his ears.

How often do you wash your hands? How often do you wash your heart? We all collect “dirt” in our hearts each day. There are things we see, hear, or do that are not pleasing to God. Going on about our lives without stopping to clean our hearts from these things will harm us spiritually.[9]

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

______________________

[1] O. S. Hawkins, In Sheep’s Clothing, Jude’s Urgent Warning about Apostacy in the Church (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Publishing, 1994) 42.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude (Chicago Illinois; Moody Publishing, 2005) 164.

[3] Thomas R. Schreiner, The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Scripture, 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2003) 446.

[4] Schreiner, 447.

[5] See also 2 Peter 2:4-8

[6] Osborne, 45.

[7] Matthew S. Harmon, Expository Commentary, Volume XII, Hebrews -Revelation (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2018) 512.

[8] Daniel L. Akin, New Testament Commentary, Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus in 2 Peter and Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2018) 158.

[9] https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/wash-your-hands-after-dealing-with-death

“Contend For the Faith” Jude vv. 1-4

“Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”

A Sermon Series in Jude

“Contend For the Faith”

Jude vv. 1-4

Introduction

One of my favorite movies of all time is the 1982 classic Thing.[1] “It tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the eponymous “Thing”, an extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates, other organisms. The group is overcome by paranoia and conflict as they learn that they can no longer trust each other and that any of them could be the Thing.”

The most dangerous threats to the church is not from the outside. Persecution and attacks toward the church have shown generation after generation to only make the church stronger. Without those attacks, the church grows complacent, lazy, and selfish – but even worse than that, is the threat of false teachers from within. 1&2 Peter deal with very similar content (false teachers), and are written in future tense (they will come), but Jude is written in the present tense (they are here).

He is not focused on the exact teachings of the false doctrine, but he is focused on what the false doctrine is producing withing the church. They are exhibiting a “godless lifestyle” and in this short book, he refers to their ungodly lifestyle six times (vv. 4, 15, 18). So, the teachers he is referring to is not so much their words, but as Jesus says, “you will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16, 20).

It is their character that gives them authority in the congregation. So Jude is stripping away their authority by showing their ungodly behavior. They should have no influence on the church, because their actions betray them.

Jesus warned the church that these false teachers would come, Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Paul warned the church that these false teachers would come, Acts 20:29-31 “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”

If we fast forward to the book of revelation, in the opening chapters seven churches are discussed and only two remained completely faithful. The others had fallen into doctrinal error which led to moral consequences.

False teaching leads to moral compromise.

Correct doctrine leads toward righteous living.

Prayer

A Confrontation is Coming – Fear Not (vv. 1-2)

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Jude, the author was one of four of Jesus’ brothers. None of the brothers believed in Jesus as the Messiah until after the resurrection, in which all four became followers[2]. So even though he is the brother of Jesus, he refers to himself as “a servant of Jesus, and brother of James.” He went from being an unbeliever to being a bondservant of Christ. Jude, according to 1 Corinthians 9:5 was married and had an itinerant ministry as an evangelist. He is writing to a Jewish Christian audience, who we will see, have a deep understanding and background in OT writings and teachings.

He is about get into how we should contend and fight for our faith, but before he gets into the fight and jump into the struggle Jude reminds them of three reasons not to fear this coming battle: They are 1. called, 2. loved, 3. kept and they are 4. blessed with mercy, peace, and love.

Four Reasons Not to Fear the Coming Confrontation

(v. 1b) “To those who are called,” – This is a personal selection, set apart and chosen. While we were “dead in our trespasses and sin” Jesus called us to salvation, 2 Timothy 1:8-9 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” Believers can rest in the security of that calling to salvation because it is not based on what we have done, but what Christ has done on our behalf.

2. (v. 1c) “beloved in God the Father,” – love is a choice and God chose to love us, Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There is nothing we can do to make God love us more than He loves us right now. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us any less, either. He does not love us because we are valuable or worthy. We are valuable and worthy because God loves us.

God has proven His love for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. It is a love that is eternal, infinite, and completely secure. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(v. 1d) “kept[3] for Jesus Christ,” – the word used here means “to observe, pay attention to, keep under guard, maintain,” so a better translation would be, “kept by” Jesus Christ. Jesus stands guard over our salvation. John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Jesus secured our salvation by His death on the cross, and the Father approved this sacrifice by raising Him from the dead, and He currently sits at the right hand of the Father ruling and reining over all of creation – no one can take salvation from you because it is kept by Jesus.

Can a person lose their salvation? Although the apostate knows the truth, he or she has never acted upon it. Jude wants the believer to feel the security and peace the promise of God provides. Jude begins the book by saying, “who have been called, who are loved, by the Father, and kept by Jesus Christ.” He also concludes the book by reminding us that the Lord “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you before His glorious presence without fault with great joy (v. 24). Apostates are not saved; they have not lost their salvation; they never had it.[4]

(v. 2) “May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” – “Jude’s prayer is that his audience would continually enjoy the Lord’s blessing, no matter how difficult the spiritual battle might become.”[5] God gives mercy continually, and the result of knowing our sin is forgiven brings us peace. But this is not a rest from fighting, but instead is peace in the midst of conflict. The Holy Spirit pours God’s love into the believer’s heart – so Jude prays that the love of God be multiplied upon the church.

A Confrontation is Coming – Fight For the Truth (vv. 3-4)

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. 4 For certain people have crept in[6] 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 had originally planned to write a positive letter, celebrating the great truths of the “common salvation” that he shared with his readers (v. 3). But the alarming news that false teachers had invaded the congregations to which he wrote, threatening that salvation truth (v. 4), compelled him to change his plans.”[7] When Jude says, “I found it necessary to write,” he means that there was a heavy burden upon his heart to address the false teachers within the church. This is how it is in church sometimes, we want to focus on one thing, but certain realities force us to focus on other things.

For Jude, he felt a heavy burden on his heart to warn the church of what are called apostates. Apostacy is a “turning away from the truth, . . “one who has received light but not life.” Apostates claim to be Christians but they are not. Nor are they simply unbelievers, they know the truth but do not act upon it.” They perform an inside job and are tools of the enemy to destroy the foundation of the church even though they themselves may be blind to this reality.

Judas is a perfect example of an apostate – He had light, but he did not have life. He claimed to be a believer. For three-and-half years he was one of the twelve disciples. Jesus knew he was an apostate, but the disciples surely did not. But eventually fell away – and he sat at Jesus’ feet. Jude was written to expose apostates and show us that we must, “contend for the faith.”[8]

(v. 3b) “contend for the faith” – the faith that Jude is referring to is, “that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed the Christian faith to the apostles and their New Testament writings and the Old Testament Scriptures make up the “true knowledge” of Jesus Christ. The Bible is all believers need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). We don’t stumble upon God’s Word – He specifically and with finality inspired, through revelation gave the apostles the Word of God. This revelation is complete (Rev. 22:18-19).

The attack on truth began as early as the Garden of Eden, where Satan tries to get Eve to doubt God’s Word by saying, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” and on through the generations, the father of lies attacks the truth of God’s Word. One strategy for the Enemy to attack the foundations of our faith, and to cause churches to crumble from within, is to send in apostates to churches.

(v. 4) “For certain people have crept in unnoticed,” – 2 Peter 2:1 puts it like this, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,” The purpose of these false teachers is to sneak in destructive false teachings that will lead the sheep away from the Good Shepherd. Everyone can probably name a dangerous false teacher outside the church, but those within the church are much harder to identify (because they are creeping, doing it secretly, unnoticed).

“Satan always sows in tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:24-30), raising up false brethren whom he disguises as messengers of truth (2 Cor. 11:14).”[9]

So How Do We Identify These False Teachers?

Jude references two groups found within the church, the “Beloved” and “the ungodly” which he later calls “those people” (vv. 8, 10, 12, 16, & 19). “They are a group of people who are a secret part of the Beloved. This secret group are characterized as being ungodly people who reject authority, do what they please, and speak in a manner which leads to arguments, division, murmuring, and speaking against God. This group takes advantage of God’s grace and forgiveness as well as they position themselves within the Christian community to lead others to live a life that is lacking in godliness, purity, and self-control.”[10]

(v. 4) They are “. . . ungodly people,”— These are people who play at being religious but have no genuine fear of God, or love for Him.[11] They claim to be teachers but they betray those that follow them by their shockingly immoral and unethical ways. Their sinful character undermines their authority. There is an irreverence about them.

“. . . who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality . . .” – “The verb pervert has the sense of changing something from one thing to another, alerting its very nature.”[12] They turn grace into sensuality, unrestrained vice, indecency. They are using grace as a license to sin.

“. . . and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” – Jude uses several titles in reference to Jesus; Master, Lord, and Christ – They all deal with sovereignty and submission. The ungodly, perverters of grace, deny Jesus because they do not submit to His authority, or God’s Word, in their lives. They are in control, they do what they want (specifically into sensuality). Titus 1:6 puts it like this, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.” Apostates know God’s Word, they may even teach it, but they do not do what it says, they do not submit to it.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Is Jesus the Lord of your life: Is He your Master (Jude refers to himself as a slave of Christ)?” The people in this passage think they are doing God’s work (look what we did for you), but when God sees the work they are doing he calls them, “workers of lawlessness.” The apostate thinks they are doing God’s work, but they have been deceived by the enemy, because the whole time they went to church, taught a class, served on committees, etc, they never knew God – and Jude shows us that they are used by the enemy to corrode the church from within.

Are you growing to become more like Christ? Is holiness, purity, and spiritual growth something you see in your life?

Do you use God’s grace as an excuse to continue in sin?

Do you submit yourself to God’s authority, specifically His Word, in your life? God’s Word says it, do you do it?

________________

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)

[2] John 7:5; Acts 1:14

[3] “continually kept,” it is in the present tense, which indicates past completed action that has continuing results.

[4] Hawkins, 12.

[5] MacArthur, 154.

[6] Inveiglers “a word that dates from the 16th century, refers to the act of using clever talk, trickery, or flattery either to persuade somebody to do something or to obtain something, but etymologically the word is linked to eyesight—or the lack thereof. Inveigle came to English from the Anglo-French verb enveegler, meaning “to blind or hoodwink someone,” from the adjective enveugle, meaning “blind.” Enveugle derives from the Medieval Latin ab oculis, a phrase which literally translates to “lacking eyes.”

[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishing, 2005) 144.

[8] O. S. Hawkins, In Sheep’s Clothing, Jude’s Urgent Warning about Apostacy in the Church (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Publishing, 1994) 11.

[9] MacArthur, 159.

[10] Ruth Anne Reese, The Two Horizons New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007) 24.

[11] See Matt. 23:25; 1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:6.

[12] Matthew S. Harmon, ESV Expository Commentary, Volume XII (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2018) 509.

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