Jude 3-7 – What You Once Knew – Bible study

Jude 3-7 What You Once Knew The title of the message comes directly out of the text. Jude 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this. Jude was reminding the church family of something that he knew they were aware of. What was it? I. There is a Dangerous People. A. Jude leave no room for doubt as he described them carefully. 1. \#4\ "certaincrept in unawares." a. We may not know who they are or when they will come, but the Bible says some are coming. b. They will sneak in and will people will not even notice. 2. "before of old ordained" a. That means God not only knows they are coming, but God planned for them to come. Theyre coming is the plan of God. b. Why? 1Cor 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. c. The problem is never that bad people are teaching wrong doctrine. The problem is good people are not recognizing what true doctrine is and doing something about it. 3. "ungodly" a. Men who do not behave like God would have them to behave. b. More than likely that is because they do not have the Christ in them that is necessary to do so. 4. Their behavior a. They "turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness" (1) Lasciviousness means license or permission to do fleshly. (2) They will use grace to give themselves license to be fleshly. b. In so doing, they will "deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (1) Jude tells us that they will deny God and Jesus, but he specifies in what way by a title. (2) The title he used concerning both the Father and the Son was LORD. (3) These ungodly people will deny the Lordship of the Father and the Son over their lives by refusing to obey, to bring their flesh under obedience to the Lord Jesus and the Lord God. B. These people have arrived. 1. They were there in Judes day as well or else he would not have been writing about them. 2. Today these people will stop you no your journey to holiness. a. They call holiness legalism. b. They call those seeking God judgmental. c. They call worldliness acceptable. 3. Their goal is to slow down and to stop you from letting Jesus take you to all He wants you to be and to have. a. These people will speak as though they have "better" understanding of the Bible. b. They will speak to you of grace and how that means we do not have to "keep the law," but they have twisted that phrase. c. Think for a moment. (1) Is not every sinful behavior against the law of God? Isnt that what makes it a sin? (2) Then if grace means we do not have to keep the law, are we not free to commit every sinful behavior there is? d. I hope you understand the answer to that question is NO. (1) When Paul said we were free from the law, he did not mean to say we can now commit every sin there is. (2) He was telling us that we are free from the ritual law of the Jews and from the penalty of the law, but no Christian is free to commit sin. (3) In fact, the writers of the Scripture were careful to warn us against such thinking. 1Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Ro 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Ga 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Ga 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 4. Dont let the dangerous people stop you from becoming as much like God as you can become! a. The goal for every believer is HOLINESS. 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, b. The means of attaining that goal is separation from the world and fellowship with God. 2Cor 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. c. You do not and should not seek my definition of holiness, but every Christian should seek: (1) To be as much like Jesus Christ as you can in this world. (2) To be as full of the Holy Ghost as you can in this age. (3) To please the Father as much as is possible in this robe of flesh. C. Dont let the dangerous people stop you. II. There is a Deserving Judgment. A. \#14-16\ Jude goes on to tell us that God will judge these dangerous people. B. But he gave three examples of these types already having been judged. 1. \#5\ The children of Israel who came out of Egypt. a. They were a lustful lot, seeking after the melons, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and garlic from Egypt. b. They were also complainers and wanted to return to that place. c. God judged them, making them wander in the wilderness until they all died. 2. \#7\ Sodom and Gomorrah a. We know that these were also a lustful lot, seeking after inappropriate sexual relationships. b. God judged them with fire and brimstone from heaven. 3. \#6\ The angels that kept not their first estate. a. We know these fallen angels as demons. b. What we may not have known was that they were a lustful lot too. (1) That is the pattern that Jude was listing for us, i.e. lustful beings that were judged by God for not being obedient to the Lord. (2) I must admit, I have never thought of spiritual beings as lustful. (3) Maybe today they are not, I do not know what changes God has made to them. (a) We know at one time, angels could rebel. (b) Today they cannot. (c) God changed them somehow. c. However, it makes sense that lust would have to have been in their nature for if they could not want something they did not have, they would not have sinned. (1) Satan wanted (lusted) after Gods position. He wanted to be God. That is lust. (2) The fallen angels that followed him must have wanted something that they did not have too. That would be lusts. C. These examples are given to us to show us some truths. 1. God will judge those who refuse to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 2. Lust (wanting what we do not have) is a big part of that disobedience. III. There should be Defended Faith. Jude 3 it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. A. Let me emphasize that this book has nothing to do with those who: 1. deny sin 2. deny salvation by grace 3. deny eternal security 4. deny the literal person of Jesus Christ 5. deny the death and resurrection of Jesus 6. deny the virgin birth or the bodily resurrection 7. deny the Bible is the Word of God B. This book deals with only one topic – People saying that grace means we can be lascivious (meaning we have a license to live any way we want). C. But Jude calls us to defend the faith against these dangerous people! 1. Why call standing against this one false doctrine a threat against the faith? 2. Because if we do not stand against sin, there will be no need for a Savior or a salvation. 3. That is exactly the place where the compromising Christian puts the gospelunneeded. D. How do we defend the faith against such dangerous people? 1. We must keep preaching, seeking, and living holy. 2. We must mark those who teach any other way and separate ourselves from them. a. Do not let that term "mark" scare you. b. The Bible makes it clear that we are to mark those who teach wrong and those who live correctly. Ro 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. c. Likewise, the Bible tells us not to fellowship with such people. 2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 2Th 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. E. The goal is not to punish the wayward. That is between them and God. The goal is to rebuke him and to keep the flock protected. As we move further into the end of this age, we are going to see more and more dangerous people. Flock of God, be wise.