In the last lesson, we got one through ten. Lord, we're going to pick up in verse 11, we'll run through the rest of the chapter, and we'll have two lessons here on the book of Jude, and maybe have a decent understanding of what this book is about. You know, we discussed in Sunday school last week about how these false teachers are far more dangerous than Al-Qaeda or ISIS. You know, we don't really see them that way. You know, but when Jesus says, you know, do not fear those who kill the body and afterwards have nothing else they can do to you, So we shouldn't be really concerned with ISIS and Al-Qaeda as much as we are. We should really be concerned with the false teachers who are bringing in destructive heresies and leading many down the path to hell. That's far more dangerous. We don't see it that way. You know, and like I said earlier, we have a tough time sometimes striking balances on anything. We have a tough time striking a balance on the difference between being judgmental and being naive. You know, we've got, we can't be neither of those. We also have sometimes a balance that we have a tough time striking between knowledge and passion. There are some that have the knowledge of God's Word, but they have no passion to carry it out. And there are some who have passion They just don't know what they're talking about. You know, we've got to have a balance between knowledge and passion, because knowledge that doesn't change us is useless. So we ended with these false prophets, these false teachers, these men who had crept into the church unnoticed, secretly creeping in, secretly bringing in destructive heresies, teaching perverting the grace of God, denying our only Lord and Master, just ungodly people. And then he describes them. And then he gave us those three examples of the people who were rescued out of Egypt. How despite all God's works. They still wanted to go back to Egypt. They still rebelled. They still rejected God's authority. The angels who didn't stay within their own position of authority and rejected God's authority and just took women who, you know, took wives. And the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who just defiled the flesh. And they were twisting and perverting this grace of God into that sensuality. Woe to them! Woe to them! Woe to them! Verse 11. Woe to them, for they have walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's heir and perished in Korah's rebellion. Again, three more examples here. He gives us Cain, he gives us Balaam, and he gives us Korah. And just to remind you of these guys, most are familiar with Cain. You know, you pick up the account of Cain in Genesis 4, Cain was one who brought a sacrifice or brought an offering to God and God was displeased with his offering. That made Cain angry. And he said, Cain, why are you angry? If you do well, will you not be accepted? Cain didn't want that. He wanted God to accept his sacrifice, his way. You know, he wanted to create basically his own way to worship God. He didn't want to worship God, God's way. And he hated God. Well, he hated those who condemned his life. You know, basically, Abel's life stood in stark contrast against Cain's life. It condemned Cain, and so Cain even hated his brother to a point that he even murdered his own brother. And a lot of times we overlook the fact that God literally spoke to Cain audibly, and Cain still refused to obey. He rejected God's word. He was disobedient. Rejecting authority. And then it says, so we know the account of Cain. Those who just seem to want to create their own self-style of worship. Then we get down to Balaam. Balaam's another one we read about in Numbers 22 through 24. We're not going to read the whole account. But Balaam was basically a prophet for hire. Balak was a king of Moab, and he wanted to curse the people of Israel. So he goes to Balaam and offers Balaam money. So Balaam is all for it. So he says, look, I mean, he goes to curse the people of Israel, but the Lord will not allow him to do so. The Lord will not allow Balaam to curse his people. So in Numbers 22, they actually come back to Balaam and up the reward. So Balaam actually has the gall to go back to God. Surely this time he'll let me curse him because there's more money available now. Balaam again sought the Lord in hopes that he could curse Israel and then reap the rewards of this ransom, so to speak. Again, the Lord tells him no. So then Balaam goes and he builds altars and he offers sacrifices all in an effort to win favor with the Lord. All in an effort to allow him to curse the people of Israel and then attain these rewards or retain these financial rewards. But even through all this, he's never allowed by God to curse Israel. But he still has a plan. He still wants that money bad enough. He still has a plan. He would send the Moabite women as prostitutes to seduce the men of Israel and lead them into sexual morality and lead them into idolatry. and they end up falling for this, they end up doing this, they end up worshiping the false god Baal through all that. So since Balaam couldn't curse the people, he basically devised a plan that would cause the people to curse themselves. And the Lord sent a plague among the people as a result of this, and 24,000 died as a result of Balaam's advice. That's why he's called here a prophet for sake of gain. He's called a prophet for sake of gain. In Revelation 2, the Lord's speaking about this. He says, I have a few things against you. You have some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so they might eat food offered to idols and practice sexual morality. Balaam actually hear, similar to Cain. Cain audibly heard the Word of God. Balaam here knew the will of God. He just simply rejected the authority of it. God had told him, you're not allowed to curse these people, but he found a way, he found a way to get his hands on that money. You know, false teachers are always in it for the money. Why else would they be into it? They don't believe what they proclaim. They're in it for the money. like Balaam, for sake of hire. And then we're told here of those who perished in Korah's rebellion. Korah is actually mentioned in number 16. Korah was a Levite. Korah goes to Moses and says, we're all holy, Moses. Why then do you exalt yourself above the assembly of the Lord? Why are you trying to make yourself prince over us? Although Moses was God's appointed leader, Korah rejected this authority. Korah became the classic example of an antinomian. An antinomian is defined as one who rejects the law, who rejects God's designed authority in the law. Korah's, who are you Moses? We're all, I'm a Levite too, we're all holy. You don't have any authority over me. They're just rejecting authority. And the end result of this is 250. The ground, the earth, opens up in numbers and swallows up 250 of them, household and all. The next day, the people actually grumble against Moses. And the Lord strikes down another 14,700 of them in number 16. So nearly 15,000 people die as a result of Coors Rebellion. So you see, these men, the Way of Cain, the Balaam, Forsake of Gain, Balaam's Era, Coors Rebellion, these men led many astray, many to utter destruction. Cain wanted his own religion, his own self-invented style of worship. Balaam used his authority and his influence to lead many away from the Lord, all while prospering through these lies, which is exactly what 2 Peter says. In their greed, we read this just a while ago, in their greed they will exploit you with false words. They will lie to you and take advantage of you all for money. All for sake of gain. Just like Balaam. Balaam knew better. So these false teachers very well may have known better. Korah's rebellion is an example of those who reject anyone or anything that opposes their view or their life. Who are you? Who set you as prince over us? The Lord had done that. But that wasn't good enough. They didn't want anybody over them. They want to be free, libertarian, want to be free. So let's look at verses 12 through 13 as Jude is going to colorfully characterize these false teachers. He does it in six ways. I'll read all of them, then we'll go back through them. 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 and uprooted, wild waves of the sea casting up the foam of their shame, wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Number one, he calls them hidden reefs at your love feast. A reef basically is a strip of rock, or a material, a similar material to that, that lies beneath the surface of the water. It's a reef. And it's hidden. It's a hidden danger. And these false teachers are like these hidden reefs, which lie beneath the surface. These false teachers rip the bottom of a boat. When a boat goes over, they just rip the bottom of the boat and they bring sudden destruction. Again, 2 Peter said this, "...who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, and many will follow." They're secretly bringing these things in. They're hidden, like a hidden reef. They're going to bring in destructive heresies. These hidden reefs destroy. and their hidden wreaths at your love feast. Now the love feasts were basically the early churches had what we'd call fellowship meals. Similar to what we'd call a fellowship meal. That's a love feast here. But it says as they feast with you at these love feasts without fear. They feast with you without fear. Look, they continue to associate with you. They continue to mingle with you without any fear, without any shame, completely unaffected by the damage they've done. Shameless. Without fear, they feast with you as if nothing's wrong. Really, they're hidden reefs, destroying you. They're like shepherds feeding themselves. Number two, they're not shepherds feeding themselves. Look, a shepherd had the responsibility to care for the sheep, to care for others. But these shepherds fed themselves. Ezekiel 34, if you wanna turn there, I got five verses I'll read. If you don't, I'll read them. Memorize them. All right, Ezekiel 34, verse one. This is actually going to be the passage that Jesus refers to when he contrasts the false shepherds with himself as a good shepherd. But he says, 34 verse 1, The word of the Lord came to me, son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds, thus says the Lord God. Ah, shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding yourself, Just like Jude, these shepherds feed themselves. You've been feeding yourself. Should not the shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat. You clothe yourself with wool. You slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. Look, you're slaughtering them at the expense of enriching yourself. The weak you've not strengthened, the sick you've not healed, the injured you've not bound up, the strayed you've not brought back, the lost you've not sought, And with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beast. Verse 10, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand. The Lord is against these false shepherds. But you see here, these false shepherds in Ezekiel's day are doing the exact same thing that these shepherds here are doing in Jude. We were warned of this in the Old Testament. And again, Jesus uses this reference when he calls himself the Good Sheep. I mean, I'm sorry, the Good Shepherd. I am the Good Shepherd. The Lord does every one of those things. He cares for others more than himself. He seeks the lost. He doesn't rule with harshness. He strengthens the weak. He heals the sick. He brings back the lost, the injured. The Lord is just completely different than these false shepherds. The Lord is the good shepherd, and he uses this passage, and that passage points to that. Then he goes on to number three. They're like hidden wreaths at your love feast. They feast with you without fear. Shepherds feeding themselves. They're like waterless clouds swept along by the wind. Waterless clouds. Now, they look promising. They sound promising. They make bolsterous claims. but they never deliver on those promises. It's a cloud with no rain. You see a cloud coming, you think this much needed rain is finally coming, but it just doesn't deliver. Proverbs 25 verse 14 says this, like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts in a gift he does not give. So if you boast in a gift you do not give, you are like a cloud without rain. You're making promises. You're looking promising, but you just don't deliver. They promise to deliver on your needs without any ability. They have no ability to supply some of the things they claim they can supply. Not only do they make promises they never intend on keeping, they are swept along by the wind. They're waterless clouds swept along by the wind. That means they're unstable. They're just all over the place. They're all over the place, making empty promises. Then he calls them fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead and uprooted. These false teachers do not bear fruit in the spring. These false teachers don't bear fruit in the summer. These false teachers don't even bear fruit in late autumn when trees should be full of fruit. There's nothing. These guys are fruitless. These men are fruitless trees that are twice dead. Trees have been uprooted. These men will never bear fruit. They bear as much fruit as a tree that's twice dead and uprooted. They're never gonna bear fruit. They're never gonna live up to these promises they're making. Like the waterless clouds, they're never gonna be able to do these things. They can't produce, they never produce. It reminds you of televangelists who make these bold promises, and people hold on, it seems, and wait and wait and wait and wait, and they never come. In the spring, they don't come. In the summer, they don't come. In late autumn, they don't come. It just never comes because they can't produce what they promise. They're making boisterous, empty claims. Verse 5. They're wild waves of the sea casting up the foam of their own shame. Look, these wild waves speaks of their uncontrollable passions. You know, a sea can't be controlled, so to speak. So these wild waves are their passions, their lustful passions as they run wild. And they're casting up, as it says here, they cast up the foam of their own shame. Actually, in Strong's, it actually renders it to vomit forth. And the shame is basically plural in the Greek. So what he's really referring to here is the shameful acts of these false teachers. Just like when you go to the beach after, you know, the sea's been high, maybe there's been a little storm, you see all kind of debris on the coast. You see the debris left on the shore is evidence of the raging sea and the filth contained in the sea. Their shameful acts that you visibly see are evidence of their filth and their wild, uncontrollable lust. They're just like wild waves of the sea who just cast up their own shame on the shore for all to see. It's evidence that they're full of filth. I mean, the sixth one here, verse 13. They're wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Wandering stars. No, stars really don't move. So by calling them wandering stars, Jude is saying this, they're not what they claim to be. Because a star doesn't wander. They're sitting in a star. And two, probably the biggest thing he's trying to get at here, for centuries, for centuries, men have set their course. Men have got their direction. Men have navigated this life by these stars. And by these wandering stars and these false guides, you're going to end up completely off course and you're going to end up lost. You see what he's saying? You set your course back in these days by the stars. Well, these stars were wandering. So if you follow these stars, you're never going to get to your destination. You're going to lost, off track, and destroyed. Verse 14 through 16. It was about these. Again, he's referencing. It's about these. It's about these false teachers that are hidden reefs that feast with you. It's about these shepherds who feed themselves, these waterless clouds, these fruitless trees, these wild waves, these wandering stars. He really defines these guys well. He's real colorful in the way he does this. It was about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the things that the ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires. They are loudmouth boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage." Tell us what you really think, Jude. It was about these, these hidden reefs, those who are only concerned with themselves, those who never live on their promises, those who are devoid of any fruit, those who ungodly passions leave a trail of shame in their wake, those who claim to be gods, yet who follow, who if you follow, you will end up off course and destroyed, these. It's about these that Enoch wrote about. Now, Enoch is mentioned in the Old Testament. He's one of the two men that's recorded in Scripture that did not see death. You know, just was taken up by the Lord. The other being Elijah. You know, we don't have a book of Enoch, but there is a book of 1st Enoch that the Jewish people referred to that just didn't make its way into our Bible. I don't know what Jude is quoting here. Many think it's 1st Enoch, but we can be sure, since it's here, we can be certain that it's reliable. God wouldn't allow it to be here if it wasn't reliable. And he says, number one, the Lord will come. Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones. That's point one, the Lord will come. You know, the people in 2 Peter 3, who we read about earlier, they were saying the Lord's not going to come. They were denying His return. You know, they were saying, where is the promise of His coming? These scoffers, where is the promise of His coming? But here, Jude reinforces the truth that the Lord will come. And he's coming to execute judgment on all, on all the ungodly. To basically convict. They're convicted. Judgment has been passed on all the ungodly because the deeds of their ungodliness and what they have spoken. They're convicted again in both word and deed because of their ungodly deeds And because what they've said in ungodly way, for the harsh things that the ungodly sinners have said against him. So both word and deed has condemned these men. These men, verse 16, these false teachers, these false prophets, they're grumblers. It says here they are grumblers. You know, most of the time this word is used to depict Israel because we know if you read the story of the wilderness wanderings, the people constantly grumbled against Moses and basically grumbled against God. So what they're doing here is they're grumbling most likely against God. Instead of submitting to God, they grumble. Because the Word of God conflicts with their lifestyle, so they grumble. They're malcontents. They're fault finders, as the NIV claims. The New American Standard called them, they find fault. They're grumbling against God. They're finding fault. They're assigning blame. They refuse to submit to God. They hate God. They complain to God. And they blame God. I was born this way. What does that sound like? Blaming God. They want to continue in sin so they grumble against God, complaining about God, and blaming God so they can stay in that life of sin that God's Word completely denies. They're following, and why are they doing that? They're doing that, they're grumbling against God, blaming God so they can follow their own sinful desires. Their sexual immorality, their greed, their lust, that's why they blame God. They're loudmouth boasters. They brashly boast, they speak arrogantly, they boast about themselves, almost in a sense as if they're the only ones who's unraveled this truth. They're the only ones who's unraveled this truth, as they say. 2 Peter 1 says, they were secretly bringing destructive heresies. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 3. In their greed, they will exploit you with false words. You see, they're intentionally, greedily twisting scripture, blaspheming the way of truth, doing so in a cleverly devised way, as it says in chapter 2. In reality, they've all twisted God's Word simply for greed. Simply the gain of following. Showing favoritism to gain advantage. They're doing it to gain advantage. They're doing it for greed. They're doing it for money. They're doing it like the example of Balaam. For sake of gain. Grumble against God. Blame God so they can follow their own sinful desires. And then boast in the fact that they've found some hidden truth that nobody else knows about. All so they can win a big following. and follow their own sinful heart. Verses 17 through 22. 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 division, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, Building yourself 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 show mercy with fear. Hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Verse 17 and 18. Look, we went over last time. The Old Testament prophets foretold this. Enoch foretold of them coming. The New Testament apostles predicted this in verse 17. Inspired by God, the New Testament apostles said they're coming. So this, again, besides Jews not necessarily rubbing their face like, I told you so, this is basically assurance to Jews readers that God knows what's going on. God's still in charge of this. God said it was going to happen. Verse 19, it is these who cause division, worldly people, without the Spirit. Look, the causing division thing could be simply truth and error don't mix. You know, someone gets up here and speaks error, another speaks truth, there's going to be division. Truth and error don't mix. So there's that division. But there's actually more that's going on here. Actually, the King James actually say these separate themselves. These false teachers separate themselves. These men think they're superior. Turn to John 7. The Gospel of John, verse 7. The Gospel of John, verse 7, I'm sorry, chapter 7, verse 45. It said the officers then came to the chief priest and the Pharisees who said to them, did you not bring him? Talking about Jesus. Verse 46, the officers answered, no one ever spoke like this man. The Pharisees answered, have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or any of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed. They're ignorant. They're the only ones who are accursed. Those of us who are superior, we hadn't believed in Him. You see, they're separating themselves. They're causing division. These people, without question, or without the Spirit, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, causing division, we know different. Mark 7 tells us some actually place tradition over the Word of God. That's why they separated themselves, because Jesus, His words were conflicting with their tradition, in this case. But they had twisted their own version of the truth. And believing they were superior, they caused division. They know something. They have some truth that you don't have. So let's not fellowship with those people. They don't have this truth that we have. And when they do that, I guess in a sense, you probably have the right to do that if it's a defense of the gospel. But most of the time when they make those comments about we can't fellowship with these people because we have this truth, it has nothing to do with the gospel. Those are men who cause division. Those are men who separate themselves. Now, verses 5 through 19, all the way through 19, Jude has condemned and criticized these false teachers and these ungodly leaders. But never forget that this letter was not written to them, this letter was written to Christians. So Jude has written this letter so that the Christians can, one, identify these false teachers, two, be made aware of the dangers that these men pose, and three, that they understand their end. Now Jude is going to speak about the way Christians should respond to false teaching. Verse 20, he tells them, but you, beloved, building yourself up in your most holy faith. Building yourself up through the word. Study, learn, apply. Build yourself up through prayer. Keep yourself in the love of God. Keep yourself. Look, Douglas Moose says this, contending for the faith does not mean only fighting against the heretics to preserve the truth. It means fighting against our own weaknesses, fighting against our own temptation so that we maintain our faith. Before we confront others, let us remove the plank out of our own eyes. waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. The greatest act of mercy is deliverance from our sin. It's only the mercy of God that leads to eternal life. So we keep ourselves, as we keep ourselves, we await the final deliverance from sin as we shed these earthly bodies and take on immortality. Then he goes into verse 22. Have mercy on those who doubt. All right, now he's talking about those who have doubt. These doubters are those who've been swayed by the false teaching. Those who have listened to false teachings so long that they're actually swayed by those, it would be easy for us to denounce these people. Denounce them, call them a curse, and move on. But Jude wants us to show them mercy. Show mercy to those who doubt. Reach out to them. Verse 23, save others by snatching them out of the fire. These are just a little bit more than doubters. These are those who are not confused. They're just convinced. These guys have taken and drank the Kool-Aid. They've actually taken this false teaching doctrine and they're convinced. Figuratively, the way he's talking about snatching them out of the fire is talking about these men that are literally teetering on the brink of hell. They're in danger of suffering eternal damnation. That's the reference to fire here. They've wandered far off the path. They're more than doubters. They follow these false teachers way down this road. Again, we reach out to these, and we reach out to these even risking getting burned because their souls are at stake. You know, it's only by God's grace that we've been kept from this and maybe associating with a body of believers who's always on the lookout for these type things. Look, reach out to these people who are teetering on the brink of disaster. Win them back. Share the Lord with them. Bring them back to the truth. Verse 23b, two others show mercy with fear, hating even the garments stained by the flesh. Here, I believe Jude is speaking of the false teachers themselves. It'd be easy to execute them, stone them, have them arrested, whatever, but Jude speaks here, we need to have mercy on these. We need to have mercy on these. But we also need to have mercy on these with fear. Because we need to approach these with caution. We need to fear their influence. We need to fear their charisma. We don't need to get sucked in. But we still need to reach them. Hating even the garments stained by their flesh. We're hating their teaching. We're hating their practices. And we're fearful. We're on guard against their charisma and charm and influence. But we still need to reach out to those false teachers. Have mercy on those false teachers. Have mercy on those who have been convinced by the false teachers who are rushing headlong into hell and have mercy on those who just have doubt. Verse 24 and 25. Now to him who was 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 forevermore, amen. Now to him who is able to keep you. We were told up in verse one that is Jesus Christ were kept by. So if Jesus, but if Jesus wasn't capable of keeping us, we wouldn't have any joy in our faith. What would be the joy if Jesus couldn't keep you? to present you blameless. He keeps us from stumbling to, in order to, present us blameless. Look, if there wasn't any assurance that He would and could present us blameless before the Father, we would have a lot to worry about. But we don't have anything to worry about because we're going to be blameless in Him. with great joy. This is why he went through this. We're told this in Hebrews 2. It's with joy that drove him to the cross. It's joy that caused Jesus Christ to endure the cross. Look, we're not saved because the Son spitefully performed the Father's will. He performed the Father's will with great joy. God said, I am a father of one. So it's this joy that God the Father, God the Son have that calls him to keep us and present us before the Father is blameless. And that should bring us joy, us assurance as we're going through, you know, maybe that's assurance as he's telling you to reach out to those who doubt. You know, if you're keeping yourself, you can have assurance that God's going to keep you. Don't get sucked in through these false teachers, but still reach out to them, because God is able to keep you. Verse 25, to the only God and Savior, the only Savior, singular, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty and dominion and authority before all time, before time began, and now and forevermore. Let all things be done for the glory of God. Look, as we wrap this letter up, at the very beginning of this letter, Jude reminds us of who Jesus is. He says, Jesus is our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. What Jesus has accomplished for us, He's loved us, He's called us, and He's kept us And this letter ends, you know, Jude bookends this thing. This letter ends with us being comforted that we will be presented before the Father is blameless. And all this is done for His glory, His majesty, forever and ever and ever. So there's a lot at stake in being a child of God. We're called throughout this book to build ourselves up, keep ourselves, contend for the faith, be concerned, show mercy to those who doubt, show mercy to those who have strayed a bit further, and be merciful, show mercy to those who are teaching this error. Just do that with fear, knowing that their influence, their charisma, their power is able to, is just powerful. But trust in God, trust that God can and will keep us. for His joy, for His honor, for His glory forever and ever. Amen. So, as we end the book of Jude, I pray that we have a better understanding of this book. Again, I was just kind of taken back at how Jude describes these men. He's so quick with waterless clouds and wild waves, wandering stars. I just enjoyed reading and enjoyed, you know, just getting into what he actually intended to tell us. And that's exactly what these men are. If we look at the fruits, look at the fruits of what they're saying and how they live their life, it'll become evident that they're ungodly and they're wandering stars. We don't need to set our course by them. We set our course by God's word. It's sure, sure and steadfast. Thank the Lord we have that. If you would please stand. Brother Bill, would you close us out?