You'll now open your Bibles with me to the New Testament book of Jude. I'd like to read Jude verses 3 and 4, and then verses 16 through 23. And then for our sermon this evening, we'll be focusing in on verses 22 and 23, as we think about engaging those influenced by false teaching. So let us begin then our reading in Jude, verse 3 again. We'll read verses 3 and 4, then drop down to verse 16 and read through verse 23. Hear now the word of our God. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 16, these are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts, and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction, but others say with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. As for the reading of God's holy word, let us pray. Our God, teach us what you would have us to understand tonight in this passage. We ask that you would give us great wisdom in how we are to deal with those who are deceived and even doubting about the truth of who you are as God and of what your word says. and that we would be those who have mercy and show compassion on them in the hopes that we would be used by you to pull them out of the fire and to see them saved from a multitude of sins. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. As I thought about this section, it really, as I studied this, came as somewhat of a surprise to me. And I'll say that it came as a surprise because when you understand everything that we have looked at so far in this letter about these false teachers and the teaching that they're bringing in, you would maybe expect Jude as he turns to address how we ought to engage with those who are under the influence of this false teaching, that he would come out as I might come out with both guns blazing. Let's come out as strong as we can. We're contending for the faith. And I thought about the difference between a soldier and a firefighter. A soldier at wartime, their mission is to seek and destroy. If the enemy is not crushed, the enemy will crush us. But a firefighter's mission is very different. A firefighter's mission is really more of a search and rescue. A firefighter is not as concerned. I mean, where property can be saved, that's fine, but as I understand it, and I know we have a firefighter in our midst, as I understand it, it's the people that matter. It's making sure that they, if at all possible, can be saved. And I think, though, when it comes to contending for the faith, We can so often default to a soldier mentality. Now, are we the church militant? Do we sing onward Christian soldiers marching as to war? Yes. But I think, and I've even seen this in broader reform circles, particularly among younger people, particularly upon the way they interact online. It's more of a soldier mentality. I've got to tear down and I've got to destroy the enemy. But that's not what Jude brings to light here. Now Jude is serious about what is going on in the church at the time of his writing and that's continuing on. We live in the last times. There are going to be mockers who come. There are going to be those who cause divisions. This is a serious thing. And so Jude takes it seriously. But Jude's response is not one of going out to war, of seek and destroy, but his response and his encouragement to those to whom he's writing is one of being on a search and a rescue mission. As I reflected on this, I thought, what if we did take the soldier mentality? We went out there at all costs, we tore down everyone. Might not God rightly come and say to us, you are destroying the very ones I sent you to rescue? We must be careful. But the question remains then how should we engage with those who are influenced by false teachers? And maybe even the false teachers themselves. There are some, certainly, and Jude has made that clear, there are some that are marked out for condemnation. They do not have the spirit. But that does not mean that everyone who is a false teacher is outside of God's salvation. Many who have taught falsehood by God's grace have been brought to see the truth. And so when we engage not only with those under the influence of false teaching, but even false teachers themselves, we must, I think, and Jude brings this out, we must have at least going into it a search and rescue mentality, much like a firefighter would have when they go. They seek to pull people, and Jude uses that illustration, to pull people out of the fire so that they will not burn. Jude has instructed his readers, and by extension us, on how to keep themselves in the love of God. We saw that last week in verse 20. Build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. In verse 21, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. In all of these things, the main command there is keep yourselves in the love of God. Now Jude moves on now in the next two verses to move from how we should operate internally to how we should operate externally. In other words, Jude says, and this order is important, we must keep ourselves in the love of God if we're going to be able to show the love of God to anyone else. We must be those who are looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ if we are going to be able to go out and proclaim mercy to others in the name of Jesus Christ. And so he says, begin with yourselves, build on your most holy faith so that you can go out there and having a good foundation, you can go on a search and rescue mission for others. Now there are, I'm not going to go into the weeds here, there are a few textual issues here. If any of you are reading from the ESV or maybe the NIV, you'll see that there are three clauses in this text. I think they say, some convince some who doubt, save some by snatching them out of the fire, and on some have mercy with fear. Here in the New King James Version, we see a two clause text. on some have compassion making a difference or distinction and others say with fear pulling them out of the fire. Either way, the main point that Jude is bringing out is that he is describing those who we are engaging with as people who need rescue. People who need rescue. And how we engage with them and how God uses us to engage with them really matters. So as we look at these two verses, 22 and 23, I want to do so under this main idea, that as Christians, we should engage those influenced by false teaching with compassion, caution, and confidence. Compassion, caution, and confidence. The first thing I want to think about is that we should engage those influenced by false teaching with compassion. It begins that way, doesn't he, in verse 22. On some, have compassion. On some, show mercy. Now why is it that we can have compassion, show mercy? Well, because we ourselves, and this was right before verse 21, we are those who are looking for mercy. It's very difficult to have mercy on other people when you are not experiencing mercy yourself. But when we know the mercy that is ours in Jesus Christ, it becomes easier to actually show compassion toward others, to have mercy upon them. And I think the idea here that is being brought up by Jude on some have compassion is the same idea that Paul brings up when he writes to the churches in Galatia, Galatians 6, verses 1 through 2. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, You who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. He goes on to say, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. He says the same thing to the The church in Thessalonica, 2 Thessalonians 3, verses 14 through 15. If anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him that he may be ashamed. Yet, do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. And so this idea is found throughout scripture. And Jude is picking up on that. You see, our job is to show mercy, to proclaim the gospel and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Judgment is not our job. Judgment belongs to God, and He will judge. But our job is to go and to show mercy where it is possible, by proclaiming the mercy that is found in Jesus Christ. He goes on, he says, after having said, on some have compassion, that we are to make a distinction. A lot of debate on what this Greek word is to be translated into English. Some say it is distinguishing between two types of people, and certainly it could be that. That's wise counsel. Maybe we are to distinguish between those that we are to have compassion on and those that we are to save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. Some translations will bring out another meaning of this word, on those who are doubting. I think of those that James describes. He says, those who are doubting are like a ship on the waves of the ocean. They're being tossed here and there. Either way, again, the point here is that we are to look at others and make a distinction as to how we should engage them. On some, maybe those who are doubting. Maybe those who, they're not fully bought in to whatever false teaching they're dealing with. They're questioning. Maybe on them we have a certain level of compassion. We aren't as strong with them. Maybe on others who have bought it hook, line, and sinker, we have to be a little bit more forthright. We have to be a little bit stronger. We have to, as he goes on to say, save them with fear, pulling them out of the very fire. And we'll get to that picture later of fire. But ultimately what we see here is Jude is saying, and he's beginning with this, he says, don't go in with both guns blazing to tear them down, but go in with compassion. And I think we need to understand that Had God not pulled us from the fire, we would be right there. And I think that will help us to have compassion on those who are going astray. But the second thing, not only should we engage those influenced by false teaching with compassion, but we should engage those influenced by false teaching with caution. With caution. And so in verse 23 we see he goes on to say, So two things here that speak of using caution. One, that we save others with fear. Now this idea of fear here can be interpreted two ways. It can be a fear of being contaminated by the sin and the false teaching that they are under the sway of. Or it can be also motivated by the fear of God. Much in the same way as Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 11 says this, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. And so we need to be careful. We need to have caution. Because he goes on to say that we, as we pull them out of the fire, we need to hate even the garment defiled by the flesh. And I think this lends some Some credibility to the interpretation that the fear that we have is fear of contamination. Fear that somehow as we show compassion for those who are under the influence of false teaching, that we also might be led astray with them. But also I think it's true that we ought to be motivated as Paul was. We ought to be motivated when we know the terror of the Lord that is against those who are outside of Christ. We ought to be motivated to persuade others not to go down that road. Not to follow whatever false teaching they are following. Think of the words of Charles Spurgeon. I love this quote, he said, If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for. Now certainly Spurgeon Spurgeon knew that it's not up to us, but the Spirit. But God uses means. And that's what Spurgeon is talking about there. Maybe God is going to use us as the means, as an instrument in His hands by which He's going to warn others. And these others that we are to save with fear are described as having been pulled out of the fire. What a vivid picture. We're pulling them out of the fire and this is the first allusion here to Zechariah chapter 3. We read that earlier but to refresh your memory, Zechariah chapter 3 verse 2. Remember Joshua the high priest is standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan is standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuked you. That is, God who has chosen his people. And then he goes on to say this, Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Now, Joshua, there as the high priest, he's representing. Remember, the priest would come on the Day of Atonement and stand before God and represent the people. Joshua, the priest, is representing the people. And God says, this one representing my people is one who was destined for flames and yet, like a brand, has been plucked out of the fire. Rescued and redeemed. And fire here is a picture of eternal torment, eternal punishment. We've already seen that back in verse 7 of Jude. Sodom and Gomorrah, who had gone after strange flesh, they were set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. And so it's a serious picture here. that God is instructing His people as we have opportunity, whether that is opportunity to persuade or opportunity to pray for, there is an opportunity to be used to pull people out of the fire. And as I reflected upon this and thought of this vivid picture being pulled out of the fire, I thought of Sodom and Gomorrah. We already looked at that in verse 7, but remember in Sodom and Gomorrah there were some that were saved. Lot and his wife and their two daughters. Well, his wife didn't make it all the way, but as they were, as they were departing Sodom and Gomorrah, they were delaying And in Genesis 19, verse 16, we read this, while Lot lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. What a vivid picture of being rescued from fire and flame. And why were they rescued? Why did these angels grab them physically by the hands and pull them out of the city? Well, we're told it was because the Lord was merciful to him. And again, I think this is the way we ought to approach people. You see, far too often we can approach people and think we simply need to win the argument. But you've heard the old adage. You can win the argument. but lose the person. And I thought again to being a firefighter. A firefighter isn't as concerned with saving the house. That might be winning the argument. The firefighter is concerned with saving the people who are within the house. That's reaching the person. Let us not be so concerned with winning the argument that we forget that it's not an argument to be won but it is a person to be pulled from the very fires of hell. That is what is ongoing here. And as we do so, Jude goes on, that we are to hate even the garment defiled by the flesh. This is the second allusion to Zechariah chapter 3. If Joshua the high priest is the one who is a brand, is representing God's people as a brand plucked from the fire. We read in Zechariah chapter 3 verses 3 through 5 that Joshua was initially clothed with filthy garments. But God spoke and said to those who were there, take away the filthy garments from him. And then here's what God says to Joshua. He says, see I have removed your iniquity from you. And so what were the filthy garments? They were the sin. The sin that had to be removed. And so when we think about that, we think about this picture that we are hating the garment defiled by the flesh. That is we are hating the sin that they are engaged in. Now this word in the Greek that is translated garment is the garment, the tunic that was worn against the flesh. Right up against the flesh. It wasn't an outer garment. It was more like underwear. And the picture here, not to be disgusting, but a defiled garment. Think about a soiled piece of underwear. That's the picture here. We should detest that. It's filthy. It's disgusting. I mean, in the natural, if you had somebody else's defiled underwear, I'm sure, like me, I don't even know if I'm touching it. If I am, I'm holding it way out here. Probably going to throw it away or burn it. That's the picture here. We ought to hate the garment defiled by the flesh. But notice what is not said here. What is not said here is that we hate the one who is wearing the garments. We hate the garment that is defiled by the flesh. But we don't hate the person that we're seeking to have compassion on. You know, we put it in modern terms, we hate the sin, not the sinner. Now, yes, you can argue, well, doesn't God, when He sends people to hell, hate the sinner? Doesn't Psalm 711 say God is angry with the wicked every day? Yes, that's God, not you. We don't see all ends. We don't see the heart. And so we are called to love, to care for, to show mercy. But we must be careful, very careful. That is the warning here. Save others with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh, because as we deal with that sin, there is a real danger that we may become contaminated, that we may come under the influence of that false teaching. And so we have to have wisdom. Some people we may be able to interact with and persuade. Other people we may just need to pray for. That's where we need to pray and ask God, God give me wisdom. How far should I go as I seek to reach this person? Keep me keep me from going so far as to be under the influence of what they are being influenced by. That's what Jesus taught us to pray, the Lord's Prayer. Keep us from temptation. It's part of that. God, give me wisdom so that I may know how far I should go. And for some people, it may be that God has called us to pray for them and to plead with God on their behalf. And so we've seen that as we engage with those, this is what Jude is telling us, he's saying once we have dealt with ourselves, once that we have made sure that we are keeping ourselves in the love of God. We are building ourselves up on our most holy faith. We are praying in the Holy Spirit. We are looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. That we are to go out and we are to engage with those who are under the influence of false teaching with compassion, but also with caution. And we are to do so making a distinction on some have compassion, on others we need to be a little bit more forthright. We need to pull them as it were from the fire. but having that caution lest we also be defiled with those garments that are defiled by the flesh. But we must know that it is not ultimately up to us to make this happen. God is the one who saves. Don't hear me in saying that that just takes us off the hook. God uses He's used people in my own life. I can tell you that, wow, was I in the fire? Was I defiled by garments of the flesh? Yes. But did God send someone to come and pull me out? Yes, He did. Now why though? Do I go back to those individuals and think back who came and worked and persuaded me? Do I go back to them and I say, thank you? Well, yes. But do I go back and I say, thank you because you saved me? No. They didn't save me, God did. But that's why I think we can have confidence. That's the last thing I want to think about is that we should engage those influenced by false teaching, not only with compassion and with caution, but with great confidence. In fact, Jude has that confidence here. Jude would not instruct, and remember Jude is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And so this is not simply Jude's words, it is God's words. And God would not instruct us to do something that had no chance of happening. And so even in giving these instructions, we learn a couple of things. We learn that there is no one, no one, from our perspective, from our vantage point, that is beyond rescue. Those who are doubting, upon whom we need to have compassion, those who are confused, they are not beyond redemption. Those who are knee-deep in the fire, even those who are propagating false teaching. They are not beyond rescue. Again, the words of James chapter 5, verses 19 and 20 are very applicable here. He says, brethren, if anyone among you wonders from the truth. And certainly here in Jude he's speaking of individuals who had wandered from the truth. If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. And what is amazing is that God uses us, feeble though we are, not with much eloquence when it comes to speech. He uses us, sinners that we are, to do His mighty work in the lives of others. Why? Why does He do that? Well, because that's what He came to do. Remember, Jesus came. He said, I come. In His first coming, in the incarnation, He came to seek and save, not to search and destroy. He came to seek and to save the lost, to ransom captive Israel, to provide rest to those who were under the heavy burden of sin. And I think Jude, remember Jude is his half-brother, Jude reflects this same heart attitude toward others. You would think that Jude would come in with guns blazing, with a soldier mentality. These false teachers are coming in and anyone who follows them, they are the enemy and they are to be destroyed. But he doesn't do that. He comes in with a heart of compassion, like our Savior. And he says, you show compassion to them. You, you show that there is a way of freedom. You have received mercy. You are the ones who are looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And as ones who are looking for that mercy, you show that mercy. Be wise how you do it. On some have compassion, on others save with fear, pulling them from the fire. Be cautious as you do it. Have nothing to do, hate even the garment defiled by the flesh. But know this, no one, no one's beyond God's redemption. You don't know what God's going to do in the life of another person. You don't know what He's going to do. You don't know when He's going to do it. That's not what matters. What matters is that we follow God's Word. And we do what He calls us to do. And what does He call us to do? Here it is, on some have compassion making a distinction, but others say with fear pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. And God will give success in this. In fact, I'll put it this way, as long as a person is alive, there is still time to be used by God as part of His divine rescue mission. And so let us remember this. Let us remember that we are dealing with the eternal realities of life and death, heaven and hell, peace and torment. Let us have compassion on those who are doubting and confused, and if need be, let us pull people even out of the fire, knowing this, that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Amen, let us pray. Our God, we ask that you would give us this heart, a heart of compassion for others, a heart that is willing even to save others with fear, pulling them out of the fire, but a heart that is wise, using great caution, lest we also be defiled with the garments of the flesh. And ultimately, we trust you That as we go out and as we obey and as we seek to show the mercy of Christ to others, that mercy that we have received. that your spirit will go forth and you will accomplish your will in drawing all of your people to yourself. And so we can do these things even as we engage with those who are under the influence of false teaching. We can do so with great confidence for you are God and you will save your people. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.