1. "Jude understood that the most important relationship he can have with Jesus is to know Jesus as the Master and Lord of his life. Isn't that also true of us?"

2. "When God calls a person, it's not merely an invitation for us to accept or decline, like we often do with paperless post or evites or friend requests on social media. Those who are called by God are powerfully and inevitably brought to faith in Jesus Christ through the hearing and receiving of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation."

3. "He supernaturally calls us as his own. He sustains us in his overflowing, never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love in God the Father. And he keeps us by grace upon grace with new mercies every morning for us in Jesus Christ."

4. "In the midst of confusion, in the midst of self-doubt, in the midst of insecurities and discouragements and divisions that this life brings, do you remember the heavenly Father's calling on you? Do you recall the gospel you heard and believed?"

5. "Sometimes in our lives, circumstances require a necessity. We can't any longer pretend everything is all right. We can't any longer ignore what's going on."

6. "Contend means to agonize. It means to toil and labor hard. I want to agonize for the gospel, don't you?"

7. "For anyone who's thinking that Jesus is this nice guy in the New Testament, yes, it's true, he is the most loving God. But not only is Jesus the savior of the world, he is also the judge of the world."

8. "Jesus keeps a people for glory. Jesus keeps a people in eternal chains for judgment. Jesus rightly and justly destroys evil."

9. "False teachers and false professors are like hidden rocks that your boat hits up against, ripping the bottom out of your boat. They come to our love feast and they eat without fear, seeking out personal gain. They are the ones that always eat but never serve or never contribute."

10. "Just as God's elect will be kept by Jesus unto glory, God's enemies will be kept by Jesus for judgment."

Observation Questions

1. In Jude 1, how does Jude identify himself, and what three descriptions does he give for the believers he is addressing?

2. According to Jude 3, what was Jude originally eager to write about, and what did he find it necessary to write about instead?

3. In Jude 4, what four characteristics does Jude use to describe the "certain people" who have crept into the church unnoticed?

4. What three Old Testament examples of God's judgment does Jude cite in verses 5-7, and what was the outcome for each group?

5. In verses 12-13, what six vivid metaphors does Jude use to describe the false teachers, and what do these images have in common?

6. According to Jude 14-15, what did Enoch prophesy about the Lord's coming, and how many times does the word "ungodly" appear in verse 15?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why is it significant that Jude identifies himself as "a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James" rather than as Jesus' half-brother? What does this reveal about how believers should understand their relationship to Christ?

2. How does the threefold description of believers as "called," "beloved in God the Father," and "kept for Jesus Christ" (v. 1) provide assurance and confidence when contending for the faith against false teachers?

3. What is the relationship between God's grace and the false teachers' error described in verse 4? How can grace be "perverted into sensuality," and why is this particularly dangerous?

4. Why does Jude remind his readers of historical examples of God's judgment (vv. 5-7) when instructing them to contend for the faith? What is the connection between remembering past judgments and protecting the church in the present?

5. In verse 9, why does Jude contrast Michael the archangel's response to the devil with the behavior of the false teachers? What does this teach about the proper handling of authority and judgment?

Application Questions

1. Jude reminds believers they are "called, beloved, and kept" by God. When you face discouragement, doubt, or pressure from the surrounding culture, how can you practically remind yourself of these truths this week—whether through Scripture memorization, prayer, or conversation with other believers?

2. The sermon described how cultural issues that the Bible calls sin are now celebrated as moral rights, leading to difficult conversations. What is one relationship or situation in your life where you need to have a necessary but hard conversation about biblical truth, and what would it look like to approach it with both love and conviction?

3. Jude warns about people who "crept in unnoticed" and cause division. How can you contribute to protecting your church community from false teaching—whether through meaningful membership, accountability relationships, or careful discernment about what voices you listen to?

4. The false teachers are described as "grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires" (v. 16). In what areas of your life are you tempted toward grumbling, complaining, or prioritizing your own desires over God's purposes? What specific step can you take to cultivate contentment and submission to God this week?

5. The sermon emphasized the urgency of sharing the gospel, illustrated by the preacher's experience at his father's deathbed. Who in your life needs to hear the good news of Jesus, and what is one concrete action you can take this week to move toward that conversation?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Numbers 14:1-35 — This passage recounts Israel's unbelief and God's judgment in the wilderness, which Jude references as a warning against apostasy.

2. Genesis 19:1-29 — This account of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction provides the full context for Jude's reference to sexual immorality and God's judgment by eternal fire.

3. 2 Peter 2:1-22 — This closely parallel passage addresses false teachers infiltrating the church and shares many of the same Old Testament examples and warnings found in Jude.

4. Ezekiel 34:1-10 — This prophetic indictment against shepherds who feed themselves instead of the sheep illuminates Jude's description of false teachers as "shepherds feeding themselves."

5. Romans 8:28-39 — This passage expands on the themes of God's effectual calling and His power to keep believers secure, reinforcing Jude's opening assurance that believers are "kept for Jesus Christ."

Sermon Main Topics

I. Opening Illustration: A Coffee Shop Conversation About Rainbows and Cultural Conflict

II. Introduction to Jude: A Neglected but Powerful Book

III. Point One: Remember Who You Are (Jude 1-2)

IV. Point Two: Remember Your Purpose (Jude 3-4)

V. Point Three: Remember Who You're Not (Jude 5-16)

VI. Bonus Point: Remember the Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 17)

Detailed Sermon Outline

Last June, my then six-year-old, now seven, Katie and I, daughter Katie and I, walked into a coffee shop we frequent near our home. While I was browsing through the menu to select a choice single-origin pour-over coffee with just the right balance of fruity and earthy notes at a reasonable price, of course, I looked over and Katie had covered her shirt with rainbow stickers that the coffee shop was giving away for free in support of Pride Month. You see, our family had just read the story of Noah in our daily Bible reading again, and we had read how God had set a rainbow in the clouds as a promise that he would never destroy the earth again by a flood. So Katie, like any six-year-old girl who loves rainbows and stickers, said, this coffee shop loves Jesus.

And the car followed a good but hard conversation about culture and Christianity. A conversation perhaps Katie and I were probably not especially looking forward to have, but one that was necessary. We live in an age when it seems the good is bad, and the bad is good. Just consider how a sign of God's covenant has become this generation's iconic banner of independence and sexual liberty. The tension, of course, for Christians is that in our culture today, numerous issues that the Bible deems sin are celebrated and championed as a moral right.

Conflicts between culture and Christianity has not only affected our moral values, but our family structures, the way we educate our children, the way we use our public restrooms, the way we choose our churches, the way we affiliate with our denominations, and even the way we identify ourselves as evangelicals. Those who claim to believe the gospel of Jesus and uphold the Bible as truth. What I mean by a Southern Baptist, theologically conservative evangelical is, so and so forth. In our generations, we have seen significant schisms within Christianity over issues all Christians once uniformly held biblically and historically to be true, right, and good. Now seen as hateful, judgmental, as bigotry and narrow-minded.

So does any of this matter to us? Does it affect our faith? How do you fight for truth when the world around you believes the opposite? How do you contend for the faith when sometimes your own faith feels weak at best? When everyone around us seems faithless, how do you remain faithful?

For these two weeks we'll be examining the book of Jude together. Please turn there now in your Bibles. It can be found on page 1027 in the Bibles around you. And while you turn there, let me give you some context. The book of Jude is well known for its famous exhortation in verse 3.

Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. So Jude instructs Christians to fight for faith because false confessors and false teachers have infiltrated the church. Causing much division and discouragement among the believers. And in light of this, Jude felt it necessary to appeal to the believers to contend for faith. Regardless, despite its powerful message and its relevant charge, for then and today, the book of Jude has been one that's easy to miss.

After all, Jude is known by some biblical scholars as the most neglected book in the New Testament. And there's a few reasons why this may be the case. Because of its brevity, it's only 25 verses, not the shortest, Obadiah and 3 John are in the running for that, but it's very short. Also because of its strangeness, if you ever read it, it quotes extra-canonical works or ancient writings that are not inspired Scripture. Contemporary works of the time such as One Enoch or the Testament of Moses.

It forces us to exercise some major Old Testament review. Sodom and Gomorrah, blaspheming glorious ones, Cain, Balaam's error, and Korah's rebellion. The book is action packed with angels and demons and sex and rebellion. Consequently, you can see why Jude is commonly neglected because of its severity. Jude contains some of the most fiercest and the most searing judgments against false teaching in all of the New Testament.

Hence such message of judgment strikes many in our day, even Christians, as contrary to their perception of the message of love and grace proclaimed elsewhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless, Dr. Tom Schreiner in his commentary says, This short letter should not be ignored, because actually some of the most beautiful statements about God's sustaining grace are found right here in Jude. Furthermore, Sinclair Ferguson said, Jude far outweighs its size in the intensity of its teaching and the greatness of its significance. And I must agree. From my study of Jude, it really packs a punch.

It's a book that gives great encouragement for any Christians who may feel disheartened in fighting the good fight. It redirects the focus from ourselves and from them and rightfully back to God. The message of Jude is an awesome reminder that God is faithful to keep us and to keep his word to the end. So what is this power packing epistle trying to teach us? This morning, taking the first section of Jude, verses 1 through 16, I want to share with you three ways Jude exhorts Christians to contend for the faith.

As you may know, if you want to fight to win, you have to play both defense and offense. And I believe that in our text this morning, Jude is instructing us how to contend for the faith by playing good defense. So how to protect the gospel? How to guard against false teaching, and how to discern false teachers. Here's the outline so you know where we're headed.

Number one, remember who you are. Number two, remember your purpose. And number three, remember who you're not. And I may throw in a bonus point at the end, but we'll keep that a surprise. I pray that as we meditate on this most beautiful epistle, that you be blessed to know what confidence, what assurance, what hope we have in our loving and promise-keeping, faithful Father.

And I pray that you'll be stirred up in your love for God and for others, for His glory and for our great encouragement. Follow along as I read the entire epistle.

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 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. 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. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus who saved a people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

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. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, served as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also rely on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 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. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.

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. These are hidden reefs at your love feast as they feast with you without fear. Shepherds feeding themselves, waterless clouds swept along by the winds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea casting up the foam of their own shame, wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these that Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, divided of the Spirit, But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt.

Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garments stained by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

How does Jude instruct us to contend for the faith? First point, remember who Remember who you are. Look with me to verse 1 and 2 again. It says this, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

Verse 1 tells us that the author of this letter is Jude. Now, who is Jude? Jude or Judas or Judah was a common name in those days, like Bobby or James or Mark. Five men in the New Testament bore this name. Two of those men were among Jesus' 12, Judas the son of James and the infamous Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, as according to Luke 6:16.

This Jude was neither of those apostles. Obviously he's not Judas the son of James. He's not Judas Iscariot the betrayer because we know that Judas hung himself in Matthew 275. The author of this letter is virtually unknown to us in the New Testament. However, the question of our author's identity is quite clear from Scripture.

We know which Jude is writing to us because there is sufficient evidence from the last phrase in verse 1. Jude, the brother of James. Of course, James needed no other introduction, for he was a man well known during that time. He was a prominent leader in the church of Jerusalem, according to Acts 12. The Apostle Paul identified James as one of the pillars of the church in Galatians 2:9.

James was also the author of the book of James, and we know that James was the brother of of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that Jesus had four half-brothers, half-brothers since Jesus is fully God and fully man and was born of a virgin, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, as according to Matthew 13:55. We know from the Gospel of John 7:5 that Judas, along with the rest of Jesus' family, didn't believe that Jesus was the Christ, during his earthly ministry. In fact, they thought Jesus was completely out of his mind according to Mark 3:21. It wasn't after Jesus's death on the cross and resurrection that the brothers were apparently and thoroughly converted.

1 Corinthians 9:5 even records that the brothers and even their wives gave themselves to missionary journeys to advance the the gospel. So is it odd to you that this Judas or Jude could have presented the credible credential, I am Judas, the brother of Jesus, but rather yet instead Jude identifies himself in verse 1 as a servant of Jesus Christ. And brother of James. He puts forth as his authority for writing this letter, a servant of Jesus and a brother of James, not Jesus. Why?

How come? Commentators say in their scholarly speculation that Jude was modest and humble, and I think they're right. But if I can dare to give an additional observation with my best exegetically informed assumption, Just as Jude is very intentional with every word he wrote in this short and spicy letter, I think that Jude was very deliberate in why he merely claimed himself as a servant of Jesus. I think Jude understood that the most important relationship he can have with Jesus is to know Jesus as the Master and Lord of his life. Amen?

Isn't that also true of us? Jude reminds them first to remember who you are in Christ. That's why in verse 2, Jude first reminds his audience with a holistic description of who a Christian is. To those who are called, to those who are beloved in God the Father, to those who are kept for or by Jesus Christ. This is who you are.

This is who I am. Servants of Christ, called by God, beloved in God, and kept by God. By Christ. You'll notice in Jude's writing he loves to give examples in threes. Later you'll see that perhaps the reason for Jude's use of triplets is to use to point to the complete salvific work of our Trinitarian God.

You'll see that in his Trinitarian prayer in verses 20 and 21, 21, and in his benediction in verses 24 and 25. But we'll talk more about that next week. What does Jude mean When he addresses the called, Jude is reminding Christians that salvation is wholly the work of God. Called here means the effectual or effective calling of God. When God calls a person, it's not merely an invitation for us to accept or decline, like we often do with paperless post or evites or friend requests on social media.

Those who are called by God are powerfully and inevitably brought to faith in Jesus Christ through the hearing and receiving of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. The effective call of God is extended only to the elect of God, the chosen of God, and the call is eventually and always successful, 100%. It's irresistible, hallelujah. That's why we will praise God in heaven for 10,000 years, because he is mighty to save all whom he has willed to save. Amen?

Amen. Just like I chose my wife and said no to a thousand other women, even though she would have said no to me, I don't know. Just as an illustration, God's love for us, God's love for us is even more direct. He doesn't randomly call out to us for some of us to casually call back to him. The Bible says, Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined.

Those whom He predestined, He also called. Those whom He called, He also justified. And those whom He justified, He also glorified. He causes us to call on His beautiful name. And as Romans 10:13 says, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

All who are called by God becomes his own to his great glory. Why does Jude recall this reality? As Jude is getting ready to unleash some serious warnings to his readers to contend for the faith by exposing false teaching. Some may misunderstand that the focus of our fight is on us, on our human efforts and on our endurance. But Jude is reminding us that the calling of God is by grace.

By no merit of our own works. Do you see how Jude emphasizes those who are called by God are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ? Jude is reminding us that salvation is God's work from start to finish. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ, Philippians 1:6. He supernaturally He calls us as his own.

He sustains us in his overflowing, never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love in God the Father. And he keeps us by grace upon grace with new mercies every morning for us in Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters and sister Christian, what do those words mean for you? That you are called, beloved, and kept in Jesus Christ.

In the midst of confusion, in the midst of self-doubt, in the midst of insecurities and discouragements and divisions that this life brings, do you remember the heavenly Father's calling on you? Do you recall the gospel you heard and believed? The good news of Jesus Christ, the best news you will ever hear, that God who is holy, unlike any other God, created all things in love for his glory and our good. But man, having been tempted by Satan, chose to be a God unto ourselves, deliberately disobeying God's word, choosing death over life. As a result, man was separated from God, entirely helpless to save himself from the vain and dissatisfying power and curse of sin.

And because of our continuous rebellion and sin, we rightly deserved his wrath and judgment as a consequential sentence of our sins. But God in his mercy had a plan from the very beginning to call a people, to sustain a people, to keep a people for us to know his great love by sending his own son, Jesus Christ, who is truly God and truly man, to live the life that we could not live, to die the death that we should have died. He took our place as a substitute on the cross for our sins, sins of our past, present, and future. For all our iniquities, for all our unrighteousness, he paid the debt that we would have suffered in eternal hell. But that's not the end of the story, is it?

Jesus Christ rose again from death on the third day, which meant that God accepted his sacrifice once and for all. Conquering sin, Satan, and death. And whosoever, anyone who would repent and believe in Him will not die and go to hell, but participate in His resurrection. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So in Him, we get to live the abundant life here on earth right now and await with hope for His return to live a glorious eternal life with Him forevermore.

Amen. At his invitation, brothers and sisters, by his effectual call, not dependent on our good deeds, we get to call him Father, as he keeps us in his love through the Lord Jesus Christ to the end. Jude says, this is who you are. If you're not a Christian here this morning, we welcome you. We're so happy that you're here.

There's no better place for you to be on a Sunday morning than under God's Word with God's people. But if I may ask you a question, who keeps you? What holds you up? What sustains you when all of life's circumstances disappoint you and discourages you and deflate you and drag you down? Can any person, can any job, can anything in this world keep you to the end, love you to the end?

Jesus did, Jesus does, and Jesus will. Jesus says, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Just look around at the thousand people gathered in this room who testified to this reality. We are praying for you now. Repent of your sins this moment.

Confess of your need of him today. Trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This morning. If you'd like to know more about how you can follow Jesus, talk to any of the pastors at the door at the end of the service. I'll be right there.

Or talk to anyone smiling next to you. They'll be happy to talk to you or point you in the right direction. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you in your weakness, in your struggle, in your waiting, in your hoping, Jude prays for you and me. We're gonna need some mercy in order to resist false professors and teachers and culture of our day when they wrong us and turn on us. And they, they're gonna need mercy, God's mercy, to be spared from judgment.

Only then could they be snatched from the fire, as Jude later writes in verse 22 and 23. We're gonna need peace because these deceivers and hypocrites in the church have caused division in the church.

And brought up strife and gossip and grumbling and drama. We're gonna need love because nominal Christians, Christians by name only, are abusing Christ's name and taking advantage of our Christian fellowship when they only care about themselves. I'm thankful that our church is not marked by such people. I'm thankful that through our practice of meaningful membership and church discipline, which are God's tools provided for us, we are able to protect the gospel. And be guarded from intruders.

But here's the deal. Know when it comes here or elsewhere. Know for those who are in Christ Jesus, however you come here this morning, wherever you may end up, in order to contend for the faith, remember who you are, remember whose you are, remember what you have, an infinite supply of mercy, peace, and love. In Jesus Christ multiplied to you. How do you contend for faith?

Secondly, remember your purpose. Look with me to verse 3 and 4.

Beloved, although I was 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. For certain people have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Here in verse 3 and 4, Jude gives us the purpose of why he writes this letter. He says, I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, but I found it necessary to write to you about something more urgent. You see, Jude wanted to write to us about the glorious gospel.

He wanted to keep going with verses 1 and 2. I mean the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Jesus Christ is endless, isn't it? Isn't it why we can hear and share the gospel over and over again and still be encouraged and still be built up? This church has been gathering together every Sunday for over 140 years, preaching the same old gospel. Yet still lives are changed.

Christians are still edified. Members and pastors and missionaries are raised up and sent out all over the globe. Lord willing, Andy to plant a church in Turkey and me to plant in Montgomery County this year. We can talk about this common salvation for another 140 years if the Lord allows until Jesus comes back. But here in this specific situation, Here in this dire moment, Jude found it necessary, Jude found it unable to ignore, Jude had no choice but Jude was compelled.

Jude was obligated to address a matter so threatening and so imminent, an appeal to the believers to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Brothers and sisters, have you ever felt this necessity?

A couple months ago, I was shocked to hear that my father was dying of cancer. I mean, I knew his health hadn't been all that great for the past few years, but the news of his stage four cancer came as a surprise to me and our family. He lives in Korea, so I had no idea how I could drop everything to get there, three kids.

Limited finances, urgent because he was rushed to the hospital, and they said that he could pass away any day. In my mind, I was thinking, Should I go? Should I stay? Would I regret? You see, I hadn't had a good relationship with my dad over the years.

My non-Christian parents sent me here when I was seven years old to achieve the American dream, but then I became a pastor.

My dad hated that. He would say to me, How's your job? Instead of how's ministry? He said, I was brainwashed. And at a certain point we stopped talking.

The last I've seen my dad was five years ago and before that 25 years ago when they sent me here to the States in 1990. But last August as I was sitting by his deathbed, and as he was going in and out of consciousness, he was covered in sweat, gasping for air, and if I'm honest with you, I had nothing to say to him. I was so numb, so stunned it would come to this. I loved him as a father, humanly speaking, but 30 years have gone by. One too many missed opportunities to talk to him, to pray for him.

One too many missed opportunities to tell him I love him, that I forgive him, that I'm thankful that he sent me here at a young age. And as I saw him suffer so terribly while the cancer ate away his body, my only urgent appeal, my only prayer, the only words I desire to utter, Dad, believe in Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who could save you from this suffering and the greater suffering that is to come for you. Jesus is the only one who can give you mercy and love and peace.

Sometimes in our lives, circumstances require a necessity, just as it was necessary for me and my wife, Jerry, to no longer avoid or ignore a tough conversation about this generation's perceived sexual liberties with our seven-year-old daughter. We can't no longer go as we were going. We can't no longer any longer pretend everything is all right. We can't any longer ignore what's going on, the necessary appeal. The purpose of Jude's change of plans is just as urgent today as it was in those days.

Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Contend for the doctrines and theology of orthodoxy, the tradition that has been passed down for generations. Contend for sound theology. Contend for biblical ecclesiology. Contend for a biblical sexual ethic.

As I sat there by my dad's deathbed, as I was the sole possessor of the gospel in that room. I felt a conviction. I needed to. I wanted to preach this gospel. Maybe somebody else's dad can come to hear the good news and be saved.

So what am I doing? These five years at CHBC has been awesome. I wouldn't trade it for a thing. I came here as a 32 year old From 10 years of ministry, now I'm 37, and I want to be spent for the Lord for the rest of my days. I want to run hard for the next however many years the Lord will allow.

Brothers and sisters, tomorrow is not guaranteed, amen? I want to pastor a healthy gospel preaching church in Montgomery County. Build a truly gospel centered, multi-ethnic, multi-generational church. Call nonbelievers to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as a Savior. I'm a nobody.

I'm a son of a nobody. I got nothing special, nothing exceptional. But I know who I am in Christ. I am called. I am loved.

I am kept by Christ. I know what my purpose is. The necessity to contend for the faith. Contend means to agonize. It means to toil and labor hard.

I want to agonize for the gospel, don't you? Brothers and sisters, what does Jesus say is necessary for you to do this morning? This morning's exhortation from Jude is to wake up from complacency, from comfort to urgency to necessity. And we see why it was necessary that we contend for the faith, that we remember our purpose there in verse four. It says this, 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.

It says certain people have crept in unnoticed. Other translations say these people have come in by stealth. The fact is these people have not disappeared in Jude's day. They are still around today in our churches, they never left. In fact, I say things have gotten worse.

Look at our churches, look at our denominations, look at evangelicalism. We are to guard and protect the gospel from these people. And in order to do that, we have to discern who and what these false teachers and false teachings are. And for that, let's turn to our final point. In answering how to contend for the faith.

Point number three, remember who you're not. Remember who you're not.

You'll notice the phrase in verse five, now I want to remind you. It marks a new section in verses five through 16. Next week you'll see a similar phrase in verse 17. But you must remember which marks another section. Today, for this final point, I'm addressing the remainder of our verses 5 through 16 and I have three brief sub points.

The reason why is because you'll notice something very interesting in Jude's instruction for us in our contending. So instead of going head to head with these false teachers and false confessors, Jude's instruction for us is to remember. Look at that phrase at the end of verse 4 again. It says this: for certain people have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were designated for this condemnation. You see these people have crept in unnoticed, but guess what?

It says they were long ago designated for this condemnation. They try all they can to cause strife in the church. They try all they want to stir up that drama, but in the end, what is their end? Jude is saying, Just as God's elect will be kept by Jesus unto glory, God's enemies will be kept by Jesus for judgment. In addition to verse 4, look at verse 6.

Those he has kept in eternal chains until the judgment of the great day. Look at verse 13. These whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Jude is telling us in order to contend for the faith, not only remember who you are, not only remember what your purpose is, Remember who you're not. Jude understood that when the rubber meets the road, there are times the sheep needs to be defended before they are fed.

So he's bringing up these reminders so that we would be able to do just that. Notice how Jude goes to lengths to make sure we know who they are. Look at verse four. Certain people. Verse eight, these people.

Verse 10, these people. Verse 12, these people. Verse 16, these people. Verse 19, these people, hence, so point number one, who they were. Verse 5 and 7, look at verse 5 and 7, it says this.

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus who saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own positions of authority but left their proper dwelling He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. 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. In these verses, Jude gives us three historical Old Testament examples of God's judgment in the past. One, of the apostates, those who renounce their faith in God in the wilderness coming out of Egypt.

In reference to Numbers 14 and Exodus 32, also referenced by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:6-13. Second, of angels who did not stay within their own positions of authority. In reference to Genesis 6:1-4. When angels did not keep to their proper sphere, but came down to have sexual intercourse with daughters of men. Third, of Sodom and Gomorrah in reference to Genesis 19 where the sin of homosexuality, the sin of men wanting to have sex with angels, which was going against God's word.

The sin of pride and disregard for the poor according to Ezekiel 1649 and their arrogance, injustice, and bigotry these served as an example undergoing punishment by eternal fire. What's the purpose of why Jude wants to remind us of these Old Testament examples? History shows us the wicked will not get away. They were destroyed, they're kept in chains, they were judged. Remember what they did, remember who they were.

Is it strange to you that in verse 5, Jesus makes an appearance in the Old Testament? That Jesus is referred as the one who saved the people out of Egypt and also the one who destroyed those who did not believe? Well, it was not uncommon for even in those days when Jude was written, around 67 AD to 80 AD, for the apostles and all who held to the faith that was once delivered to the saints to understand Jesus as the second person of the Trinity. The Son of God, who is present with God from the very beginning, according to John 1:1. The Apostle Paul acknowledges Christ was present with Israel in the wilderness in 1 Corinthians 10:4 and 9.

Moreover, Apostle John says that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus Christ in John 12:41, referring to Isaiah 6. There are more verses that I can reference regarding Jesus' presence through the Old Testament and the New Testament. But the point is this, for anyone who's thinking that Jesus is this nice guy in the New Testament, yes, it's true, he is the most loving God. But not only is Jesus the savior of the world, he is also the judge of the world. John 5:22 says, For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son.

John 5:27, and he gave him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. Jesus keeps a people for glory. Jesus keeps a people in eternal chains for judgment. Jesus rightly and justly destroys evil. That's heavy stuff, right?

Stay with me, it gets better. Second sub point is this. What they are, second sub point, what they are, verses 8 through 13. Jude wants us to see false teachers and false confessors for what they really are. Look at verse 8 through 10.

Yet in a like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 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. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. These verses describe the sins of the false teachers and confessors. You see it there in verse 8.

They, relying on their dreams as the source of authority, not the word of God. It was mysticism, it was astrology, it was spiritism, it was dreamology, not theology.

And they used it to justify their own thinking and their sin. They also defile the flesh, it says. They committed sexual sins, sex outside of marriage. They practiced unnatural, unbiblical sex. And they said, Judge not, because I'm a Christian.

Why does it matter how I live my life?

They also rejected authority. They went to church, but they didn't covenant together in church membership. They didn't submit to their elders and pastors as according to Hebrews 13:7. They ultimately rejected God's authority. That's what they're doing.

And lastly, they blasphemed the glorious ones. Well, what kind of sin is that? Even commentators say there's not too many clues as to exactly know what that means. But verse 9 gives us some help. So quoting from an extra canonical work, the Testament of Moses or the Assumption of Moses, a well-known work at the time, Jude recounts a contrasting picture of how the archangel Michael reacts completely opposite to the false teachers who abuse authority, who thought they were something when they were not.

So look at verse 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. You see, the archangel Michael, who in his own right had the authority to rebuke the devil, rightly understood that it is solely God alone who has the ultimate authority for condemning judgment. Verses 11 through 13 further describes false teachers and false confessors. Look at verse 11 through 13.

Woe to them, for they walk in the way of Cain and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. See, Jude provides another three Old Testament types of false teachers fit that of Cain, Balaam, and Korah. So Cain was an example of a person who chose wickedness over good, a type of a person's sin and envy for murdering his brother Abel. Balaam was an example of a person who hired himself out for the sake of money, prophets who spoke for God to make profit. Balaam's error was proposing moral entrapment for money.

So somebody who says something like, hey, you're gonna invite me to that big conference, right? Make sure you do that because you owe me one. That's what Balaam's error was. And finally, Korah. Jude is referring to Korah who led a rebellion in Numbers 16. Who led an attack against Moses and Aaron, claiming that since the whole people of God is holy and had God in their midst, Moses and Aaron should not usurp authority by themselves, to themselves alone, in setting themselves up as political and priestly leaders.

So the rebellion was Korah leading the people against Moses and Aaron, and the rebellion resulted in Korah the leaders and their households being swallowed up in an earthquake while their followers were destroyed by divine fire. Jude is describing Korah as an example of a rebellious or a schismatic person. And Jude is saying these false teachers are exactly what they are. Look at verse 12 to 13. These are hidden reefs at your love feast as a feast with you without fear.

See, false teachers and false professors are like hidden rocks that your boat hits up against, ripping the bottom out of your boat. They come to our love feast or our Sunday afternoon fellowship potlucks and they eat without fear, seeking out personal gain. They are the ones that always eat but never serve or never contribute. They are shepherds feeding themselves, reminiscent of Ezekiel 34:2. Two, these false teachers feed themselves instead of feeding the sheep, while the sheep are broken, bruised, and scattered.

They are waterless clouds swept along by the wind. In that dry and desert land, while people were waiting for rain, instead of bringing rain, what happens? They just pass by. They're completely useless. There are fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted.

Instead of bearing fruit, they are twice dead or completely dead, dead in the spirit. There's no life in them. There are wild waves of the sea. They're unpredictable. They're not dependable.

They are unaccountable. Casting up the foam of their own shame. They have no substance. They revel in what they should instead be ashamed of. It's unsatisfying.

Jude references Isaiah 57:20. What they call honor, God sees them.

As shameful. They are wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Jude is saying, these false teachers copy the behavior of fallen angels and will receive the same reserved judgment designed for those fallen angels. You see Jude wastes no words. A thorough description of what they exactly are.

In a church that I used to serve at previously, there was a pastor who was well known, well respected in our community. He was genuinely a gifted man, a likable guy, extremely well networked and resourceful. Only he claimed himself as a prophet. A Southern Baptist ordained pastor, a national conference speaker, a representative of our denomination, aka self-proclaimed prophet. He prophesied that members in the church would get married because God supposedly told him in prayer.

He publicized that his two-year-old son at the time would be the second most anointed man in history after Jesus because a prophetess had said so. He asked me in a meeting, Are you a servant of God or a servant of the senior pastor as a way to put me in my place. I said, of course, I'm a servant of God. He said, don't you know Joshua was known as a servant of Moses until Moses died, quoting Joshua 1 and Joshua 24. He twisted scripture.

His theology was messed up. He was usurping God's authority and placing his authority over God's. In a culture built by an unhealthy understanding of authority, and a fear of man that he fostered. So many people fell into his manipulation and charisma. When he left to plant a church in another country, so many people followed.

That church was endorsed by our denomination's well-known pastors, currently one of the fastest growing churches in that country. That pastor is from this area, not this church, from this area. They are more common than we think. I have no hesitation to call him for what he is, A false prophet. And I pray the Lord will have mercy on his soul.

Because I'm confident of this, unless he repents, I know. So point number three. What will become of them? What will become of them? Sub point number three.

Verses 14 through 16.

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way. And of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires, their loud mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. Jude, again, is quoting from an extra-canonical source. First Enoch, it was a well-known contemporary work at the time.

Just as Paul quoted from well-known works outside of Scripture, examples, Acts 17:28, Titus 1:12, okay? Although it wasn't inspired, it was a common thing that the writers of the Bible did. The point that Jude brings out here is is that false teachers are destined for judgment on that day of Christ's return. On that day, God will put false teachers and false confessors on full display for who they are. Did you notice how many times the word ungodly is used in that one verse?

Four times they are ungodly. They do ungodly deeds in ungodly ways. And other ungodly sinners speak harshly of them. And they are grumblers, they are malcontents, sinful and selfish, boasters and manipulators. They will be judged for what they rightly deserve.

Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the God of justice. We should conclude. How do you fight for faith when the world around you believes the opposite. How do you contend for the faith when sometimes your own faith feels weak at best? When everyone around us seems faithless, how do you remain faithful?

Here's my bonus point, remember the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 17, you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord that Jude exemplifies for us he is a servant of Jesus. I pray that you and I will take the same posture to the end because it's him, Jesus, who called us, who loves us, and will keep us to the end to glory. Amen?

And Jesus will keep the false teachers to the end into coming judgment. That's how you contend for the faith. He is our defense. So remember who you are, remember your purpose, remember who you're not, and remember the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray.

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you that it reminds us in you we are called loved and kept in your son. Help us to boldly contend for the faith. Help us to understand the urgency of this call. Give us opportunities to do that faithfully this week.

Help us to guard and protect our fellow church members by our love and care for them. Help us to remember Christ, that in him we have all we need. In Jesus' name, Amen.