February 16, 2000

EXPLORE THE BIBLE SERIES:
Jude warns against the effects of false teachers
___ Jude 1-25
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___Jude wrote a brief letter to warn the church that heretical teachings had infiltrated their walls. He begins his letter with a traditional greeting, identifying himself as the brother of James. He obviously assumes that everyone knows James, which leads us to believe it was James, the famous leader of the Jerusalem church, author of the New Testament book bearing his name and half-brother of Jesus. This connection to James would have given Jude even more authority with the recipients of his letter.
___ How to react to false teachers (Jude 3-7). Jude begins by appealing to the saints to remain faithful to the message of faith that was given to them from the beginning. He draws them back to their foundation.
___Jude doesn't mince words as he points out that certain people have "crept in unnoticed" and were twisting the word of God for their own purposes. He uncovers two identifying marks of the false teachers: They used the word of God to legitimize their own sins; and they denied the deity of Christ.
___Jude then gives three examples of God's judgment in the past (Moses, fallen angels, Sodom and Gomorrah) to illustrate the fate that awaited these false teachers. Jude's advice on how to react to the false teachers: Stand firm on the faith that was imparted to you when you first accepted Christ as Savior.
___ How to identify the false teachers (Jude 8-16). Jude proceeds to give a more detailed description of the false teachers.
___They are living lives that are harmful to their bodies, reject any spiritual authority that tries to show them the error of their ways and deny the reality of spiritual beings (Jude 8). The false teachers are too proud to admit there are things they do not understand. They constantly give in to their basic sinful nature, and "like unreasoning animals," they blindly follow their human appetites.
___Jude points out that like Cain (the first murderer), Balaam (the false prophet), and Korah, (the one who rebelled against Moses and Aaron), these false teachers have chosen the wide path that leads to destruction.
___These false teachers are deceptive and dangerous ("hidden reefs") because they blend in at every Christian event. Their motives are selfish. They are superficial and make a lot of empty promises ("clouds without water"). They are unstable ("carried along by winds") with no true spiritual life ("autumn trees without fruit"). In short, the false teachers were completely out of control ("wild waves"), and had lost any sense of shame (Jude 13).
___ How to overcome the false teachers (Jude 17-24). Jude gave his fellow Christians the prescription for overcoming the sickness of the false teachers.
___They should engage in the constant process of spiritual growth by clinging to the "most holy faith" which Christ has given you; pray as directed by the Holy Spirit; meditate day and night on the love of God; focus "anxiously" on the ultimate goal: to be reunited with Jesus forever; and be busy about the work of saving others.
___In possibly the most beautiful benediction of the Bible, Jude expresses that ultimately our only hope is in Jesus Christ who gives us the power to survive eternally (Jude 23-24).

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