WEBVTT 00:00:09.550 --> 00:00:14.230 We'll be reading today from Jude chapter 1 verses 00:00:14.230 --> 00:00:20.670 12 and 13, verses 12 and 13. These are the men 00:00:20.670 --> 00:00:26.489 who are the hidden reefs in your love feasts, 00:00:26.570 --> 00:00:32.049 when they feast with you without fear, caring 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:35.829 for themselves. Clouds without water carried 00:00:35.829 --> 00:00:40.759 along by winds. autumn trees without fruit, doubly 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:46.259 dead uprooted, wild waves of the sea, casting 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:51.380 up their own shame like foam, wandering stars 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:56.060 for whom the black darkness has been reserved 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.939 forever. Let's pray. Father, I come before you. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.739 Lord, I ask for help this morning. Lord, I ask 00:01:05.739 --> 00:01:10.030 that your Holy Spirit would fill me and humble 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:13.629 me that I am able to speak these words. Lord, 00:01:13.750 --> 00:01:17.489 I ask that your Holy Spirit would guide me as 00:01:17.489 --> 00:01:22.489 I preach this text. Lord, we know that your word 00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:25.250 is living, that it is powerful, that it does 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:29.530 not return void. Lord, we know that your word, 00:01:29.609 --> 00:01:33.469 that is your word. Lord, today I ask that you 00:01:33.469 --> 00:01:38.200 would open the hearts and the minds. of the men, 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.700 women, and children that hear that living and 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:46.079 powerful word. Open their hearts to hear the 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:49.920 truth of your word and what it is you have to 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.900 say to them this morning. Father, I ask that 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:57.079 you would be glorified today in all that is said 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.340 and all that is done and all that is thought 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:04.180 today. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:04.969 --> 00:02:10.430 So we are going to pick back up in the epistle 00:02:10.430 --> 00:02:14.990 of Jude. I've preached three sermons prior to 00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:19.270 this in the book of Jude. And so leading up to 00:02:19.270 --> 00:02:24.539 verse... 12, where we will start picking up today, 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:27.159 I just want to do a brief review of the book 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:30.180 and what we've seen in this book so far up to 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:33.159 this point so that there's some continuity in 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.560 thought here. So in verses 1 through 2 of the 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:39.659 book of Jude, we see the author and we see the 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.500 recipients of this book. We see that he is writing 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:44.639 to those who are the called, the beloved of, 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:49.840 in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:54.680 In verses 3 through 4, we see the purpose of 00:02:54.680 --> 00:03:00.060 this small book. We see the call for these believers 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:04.159 of this church to contend earnestly for the faith 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:07.180 which was once for all. delivered to the saints, 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:10.460 we see that Jude really wanted to write about 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:13.819 the common salvation that he shares with these 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:16.759 believers. He wanted to write a good and a strong 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:19.680 and encouraging and supportive letter, but he 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:23.000 felt the necessity because there was something 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.039 so grave taking place in this church. He felt 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:30.639 compelled to write them a different kind of letter 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:37.259 calling them to contend. to fight, to stand up 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:41.159 for the faith, for the gospel of our Lord Jesus 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:44.939 Christ. We also see the danger presented in verses 00:03:44.939 --> 00:03:51.080 3 -4. We see, for certain persons have crept 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.979 in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand 00:03:53.979 --> 00:03:57.879 marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons. 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.960 who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:06.039 and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 00:04:06.580 --> 00:04:10.620 So this is the danger. The danger is these men 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:15.060 who have crept into the church. They're the ones 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:17.879 that are threatening. This is why he felt so 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:21.360 compelled and the necessity to write to them 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:26.860 in such a strong manner. In verses 5 -7, he uses 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:30.019 examples. We see that he uses unbelieving Israel. 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:33.480 He uses rebellious angels. He uses Sodom and 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:36.279 Gomorrah. And then at the end of verse 7, he 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:39.740 says, they are exhibited as an example in undergoing 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:43.779 the punishment of eternal fire. Then he connects 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:51.500 verses 8 -10 to verses 5 -7. And he shows that 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:56.069 the man in this church, The men of the character 00:04:56.069 --> 00:05:00.009 which he describes so in depth, they will suffer 00:05:00.009 --> 00:05:04.410 the same fate as unbelieving Israel and as the 00:05:04.410 --> 00:05:07.209 rebellious angels and as Sodom and Gomorrah. 00:05:07.389 --> 00:05:09.870 Destruction and judgment will come upon them. 00:05:10.050 --> 00:05:13.529 Then we see in verse 11, he calls down a curse 00:05:13.529 --> 00:05:19.189 from a heaven essentially. He says, woe to them. 00:05:19.930 --> 00:05:22.170 And then he says they've gone the way of Cain. 00:05:22.230 --> 00:05:24.930 They have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam. 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:29.069 They've perished in the rebellion of Korah. So 00:05:29.069 --> 00:05:33.610 leading up to our text today, we can see that 00:05:33.610 --> 00:05:38.189 Jude has spent a great majority of his time and 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:41.529 his effort in this book describing who these 00:05:41.529 --> 00:05:45.519 men are. describing what they are like, their 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:49.639 character, describing them. He has shown us their 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:53.720 depravity and their sinfulness, their corruption, 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:56.779 the state and the condition of their hearts. 00:05:57.319 --> 00:06:01.040 He has shown us their destruction and their judgment. 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:05.439 He has shown us their character. Think about 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.899 what he has shown us so far in verses 4 through 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:12.800 11. He has shown us this picture of these men 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:18.699 who are wicked. This picture of these men who 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:22.139 love their sin. These men who defile themselves. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:26.259 And he's presented this picture of these men 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:31.660 to us. But we cannot forget that these men that 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:34.000 he's talking about, that he's shown us this picture 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.259 of, they are not these men that are far removed. 00:06:38.350 --> 00:06:41.430 and distant from the church of Jesus Christ. 00:06:42.009 --> 00:06:46.930 He shows us in verse 4, he says that they have 00:06:46.930 --> 00:06:54.490 crept in unnoticed. In. Where is the in? It is 00:06:54.490 --> 00:06:59.930 in the church. These men, they're not out there. 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:05.199 He says they're in here. They're not outside 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:07.839 the church threatening the church. They're inside 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:11.740 the church threatening the church. So we can't 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.800 forget that. That is the whole point of our text 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:19.579 today. This text today in verses 12 through 13, 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:26.160 it shows us and Jude is telling us what it looks 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:30.600 like, what it looks like to have unrepentant, 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:38.199 sinful, professing, Christians among the fellowship 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:44.079 of the Christian body of Christ. That's what 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.079 he's showing us today in verses 12 -13. He is 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:53.779 saying, those who twist the grace of God, they're 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:58.079 inside. Those who deny our only Master and Lord, 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:03.470 Jesus Christ, they're among you. They are with 00:08:03.470 --> 00:08:07.870 you. That's why in verse 12 he says, in your 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:11.829 love feasts. And that's why he says, when they 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:17.310 feast with you, they are among the fellowship. 00:08:17.329 --> 00:08:21.670 They are in the fellowship. So when I worked 00:08:21.670 --> 00:08:25.040 out... a Christian trade school for many years, 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.079 occasionally we would have students that would 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:32.659 have drug relapses or different things. They'd 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:36.399 have issues they'd have to deal with. And so 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:40.340 my office and the offices of the school were 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:46.480 located about three blocks north of Cox North 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:51.090 Hospital in Springfield. Now, Cox North, it was 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:53.970 a nice location. It was right off the Drury property, 00:08:54.269 --> 00:08:57.669 Drury University. On the third floor of that 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:04.929 property, there was a mental section of the hospital. 00:09:05.210 --> 00:09:07.850 And so there were always cases of people breaking 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:15.330 out. And so I had dozens of students that had 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:20.190 mental disorders and struggles. And so occasionally 00:09:20.190 --> 00:09:25.990 our students would relapse, or in order to prevent 00:09:25.990 --> 00:09:28.950 themselves from relapsing, they would check themselves 00:09:28.950 --> 00:09:33.830 into the psychiatric ward of Cox North Hospital. 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:39.769 So near the end of my time there, I had to go 00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:42.909 up and visit one of my students who was in the 00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:46.090 psychiatric ward of Cox North Hospital. Leading 00:09:46.090 --> 00:09:49.389 up to that, you know, I'd had dozens of conversations 00:09:49.389 --> 00:09:53.769 with students about these things. We talked about 00:09:53.769 --> 00:09:57.230 issues they dealt with and they faced. I had 00:09:57.230 --> 00:09:59.669 conversations with co -workers and other people 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:03.049 in that field about these issues that people 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:08.830 face. But it was a whole other thing. When I 00:10:08.830 --> 00:10:12.470 went on the third floor and they unlocked the 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:21.990 door and I walked through, And I was there. There 00:10:21.990 --> 00:10:24.470 were people in their room with the door open 00:10:24.470 --> 00:10:27.909 in a straitjacket. People screaming. It was a 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:30.649 whole other thing. Rather than just talking about 00:10:30.649 --> 00:10:34.190 it, being there and being among them, it was 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:38.990 different. The hair on my neck raised. I wasn't 00:10:38.990 --> 00:10:43.850 used to this. I wasn't comfortable. I wasn't 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:47.840 a normal thing for me. And so when Jude says 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:51.840 that these men, which he has talked about and 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.259 he's presented and he has portrayed, when he 00:10:55.259 --> 00:11:00.519 says these men are with you, they are in your 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:03.000 midst and you are among them, they are among 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.340 you, they are in your fellowship, that should 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:10.659 make our eyes open real wide, shouldn't it? This 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:15.559 church, they should be thinking they're with 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:21.100 us. It changes the whole atmosphere of that. 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.879 It changes the whole setting, knowing that those 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:29.100 individuals are with them, eating with them in 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:34.159 their love feasts. So as I examine this text 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:37.120 in verses 12 through 13, I'm going to approach 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:42.100 it in four different points. The first is the 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:46.570 danger to the fellowship. The fellowship of the 00:11:46.570 --> 00:11:50.769 believers. Second is the occasion of the fellowship. 00:11:51.809 --> 00:11:55.570 Thirdly is the pretenders in the fellowship. 00:11:56.049 --> 00:12:01.870 And fourthly, the caution for the fellowship. 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:06.669 The caution for the fellowship. So first, the 00:12:06.669 --> 00:12:12.399 danger to the fellowship. When Jude says these 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.620 men are among the fellowship and they are with 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:18.259 them in their love feast, he calls them hidden 00:12:18.259 --> 00:12:23.899 reefs. Hidden reefs. Now, mariners are people 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:27.340 who are out on ships and they were on the ocean. 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:31.860 They knew very well what hidden reefs were. And 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:34.860 they knew what could come about as a result of 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:39.440 striking or coming into contact with these reefs. 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:43.389 They were hard to see, especially at night. The 00:12:43.389 --> 00:12:45.289 waves were going up and the waves were going 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:48.049 down. You didn't know where they were at. I think 00:12:48.049 --> 00:12:50.230 they probably had a general idea at times for 00:12:50.230 --> 00:12:57.590 well -worn paths and routes. But the danger was 00:12:57.590 --> 00:13:00.690 there, but they were hard to pinpoint. They were 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:06.129 hard to see. But if a ship came into contact 00:13:06.129 --> 00:13:11.639 with a reef, a hidden reef, then the potential 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:18.460 for the entire ship to crash, to wreck, to be 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:23.919 destroyed, to be injured was there. It could 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:28.200 potentially do some serious harm to that ship. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:31.980 And so he says, these men that are in your fellowship, 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.899 they are hidden reefs. They are dangerous to 00:13:34.899 --> 00:13:38.419 your church. They are dangerous to your fellowship 00:13:38.419 --> 00:13:42.289 in your church. So what kind of danger? Well, 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:45.129 it's subtle. It's hidden. You don't see it. It's 00:13:45.129 --> 00:13:50.409 not blatant. It's not open on the surface. They're 00:13:50.409 --> 00:13:53.149 hiding it to an extent. In verse 4 it says they 00:13:53.149 --> 00:13:57.549 crept in what? Unnoticed. So in the context, 00:13:57.610 --> 00:13:59.590 one of the wonderful things about a small book 00:13:59.590 --> 00:14:05.840 like Jude is that the entire book plays a major 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:09.379 part, more than normal, in the context of what 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:12.080 your verse is saying because they're so close 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:14.600 to what everything else in the book is saying. 00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:18.519 So in verse 4, we see that there's a danger that 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:23.759 they twist grace. You can sin. It's okay. God 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:27.799 is gracious. They twist grace. That's a danger 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:32.220 for a church. In verse 16, we see that they are... 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:34.879 They're speaking arrogantly and flattering people 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:39.840 for the sake of gaining an advantage. They're 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:43.340 seeking to gain an advantage within this church. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.580 Now, many people believe that these were leaders 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.799 and teachers in the church. I'm not totally convinced 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.159 of that. I don't think that they were in leadership 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:54.179 just yet, but I think they were trying to get 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:57.580 into leadership at this church. So they were 00:14:57.580 --> 00:14:59.879 seeking to take advantage of the people of God. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:05.419 to gain an advantage for themselves. We see in 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:09.620 verse 19 that these are the ones who cause divisions. 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:16.720 We see in verse 23 that there is the potential 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:23.980 for pollution of believers, meaning sin polluting 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:28.129 their purity. So these men are presenting the 00:15:28.129 --> 00:15:31.429 danger of polluting the purity of Christians 00:15:31.429 --> 00:15:36.309 in this church. We see in verse 24, nearing the 00:15:36.309 --> 00:15:39.649 benediction, now to him who is able to keep you 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:42.990 from stumbling. Why would he say that God is 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:45.289 able to keep you from stumbling if there was 00:15:45.289 --> 00:15:49.909 not the danger of stumbling? So there's the danger 00:15:49.909 --> 00:15:54.360 that these men are causing Christians in the 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:58.539 fellowship to stumble in their walk with the 00:15:58.539 --> 00:16:03.740 Lord Jesus Christ. Disharmony in their fellowship. 00:16:03.899 --> 00:16:06.759 These men, they're real, and they are dangerous 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:10.899 in this church. They present a very real danger 00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:15.419 to this church. They are a threat. They could 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:22.110 harm Christ's bride severely. So number two, 00:16:22.190 --> 00:16:26.129 not just the danger to the fellowship, but what 00:16:26.129 --> 00:16:28.750 was the occasion of this specific fellowship? 00:16:29.230 --> 00:16:32.549 Why were they gathering? Why were they together? 00:16:33.590 --> 00:16:36.149 We could refer to the whole church as a whole 00:16:36.149 --> 00:16:39.149 and talk about that as the fellowship of God's 00:16:39.149 --> 00:16:41.970 people and Christian unity and Christian fellowship, 00:16:42.190 --> 00:16:44.610 but there's something even more specific in this 00:16:44.610 --> 00:16:49.799 text. It's talking about something unique. And 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:56.279 he says love feasts. Love feasts. Or a love festival 00:16:56.279 --> 00:17:00.679 or a love gathering. So what this was, there's 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.139 a couple different lines of thought on what the 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:07.000 love feast was. Through church history, we see 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:10.579 writings referring to these. They're referred 00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:15.680 to as different things. Most people into the 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:19.339 second century thought this was a meal. or a 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.940 fellowship meal, very much like the meal we're 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:25.559 going to have after church today. But they would 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:27.819 open it and close it with prayer and singing 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:31.359 songs. And then during that time, they would 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:35.759 be in a very prayerful state because directly 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:38.779 following that meal, they would take the Lord's 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:42.250 Supper. They would go to the Lord's table. And 00:17:42.250 --> 00:17:45.349 so many people think that the, not that many 00:17:45.349 --> 00:17:49.150 people, but some people think that the love feasts 00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:54.269 were directly correlated with the Lord's Supper. 00:17:55.309 --> 00:17:59.349 But most likely, and I think that church history 00:17:59.349 --> 00:18:03.849 testifies to this reality, it was just a fellowship 00:18:03.849 --> 00:18:09.069 meal where the church intentionally and proactively 00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:16.289 expressed brotherly and Christian love to one 00:18:16.289 --> 00:18:20.630 another, where they fellowshiped and they centered 00:18:20.630 --> 00:18:25.109 around the love of Christ and what Christ has 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:30.769 done. So this fellowship, this love feast, that's 00:18:30.769 --> 00:18:33.250 what we're going to approach it as in this text, 00:18:33.349 --> 00:18:37.579 a fellowship meal. where Christians get together 00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:40.000 and they love and they encourage and they challenge 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.660 and they convict and they spur along one another 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:48.119 in their faith, loving one another because of 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:52.220 what Christ has done. After all, Jude does use 00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:58.680 the term beloved so often in this book. You are 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:04.549 the called, the beloved in God the Father. So 00:19:04.549 --> 00:19:09.349 the occasion is the love feast. Now a lot of 00:19:09.349 --> 00:19:11.390 times in these love feasts, they would also, 00:19:11.650 --> 00:19:16.210 the richer members of the church would bring 00:19:16.210 --> 00:19:20.470 more food to ensure that the poorer members of 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:24.210 the church had plenty and had an occasional nice 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:27.509 meal that they could expect with their church 00:19:27.509 --> 00:19:33.079 body. So they were not there. particularly to 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:37.940 eat. The emphasis of the love feast was not on 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:41.359 the feasting aspect, but it was on the loving 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:46.039 aspect of the fellowship. The feast, the meal, 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:49.970 in and of itself, it was a means. to gather God's 00:19:49.970 --> 00:19:53.289 people into a time of encouragement and loving 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:55.769 fellowship. It wasn't that they were calling 00:19:55.769 --> 00:19:58.930 God's people together and to feast and to gorge 00:19:58.930 --> 00:20:02.349 themselves and to feed themselves. That was not 00:20:02.349 --> 00:20:05.930 the purpose. The purpose was the people. The 00:20:05.930 --> 00:20:09.589 purpose was the fellowship, the unity, the brotherly 00:20:09.589 --> 00:20:13.990 love. That was the purpose of the love feast. 00:20:14.089 --> 00:20:18.259 And that is what Jude is. Touching on here when 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:22.240 he says, these are the men who are hidden reefs 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:28.559 in your love feasts. When they feast with you 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:35.799 without fear. So we see the danger to the fellowship. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:40.380 We see the occasion for the fellowship. Now we 00:20:40.380 --> 00:20:43.859 see the pretenders, these men, which this book 00:20:43.859 --> 00:20:47.980 touches on so often. We see the pretenders in 00:20:47.980 --> 00:20:55.400 the fellowship. First we see their emphasized 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:59.279 activity. And I chose those words very particularly. 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:04.160 There's one activity in particular that this 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:08.019 text emphasizes that these pretenders, that these 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:14.220 men were doing at this fellowship gathering. 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:19.220 What does it say? Hidden reefs in your love feast 00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:25.039 when they what? When they feast. That is a different 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:31.539 word than he just used in that sentence. He changes 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:35.839 the word completely. So when he refers to feast 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:39.319 the second time as to what these pretenders are 00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:44.289 doing, their activity among the fellowship, He 00:21:44.289 --> 00:21:48.750 is saying that they are there and they are feasting 00:21:48.750 --> 00:21:55.750 on the food in a very haughty and a reviling 00:21:55.750 --> 00:22:01.130 way. It's in a sort, think of Herod, the great 00:22:01.130 --> 00:22:05.279 we see in the Gospels. We know from history he 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:07.940 was an extravagant man. He liked his food. He 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:11.319 had his food brought to him on large silver platters. 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:15.200 He was fancy. He reveled and he always had entertainment 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:18.160 when he had food. That's what this is talking 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:22.319 about. Entertainment and indulging in pleasure 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:26.000 and seeking the food for the pleasure that it 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:30.460 gave them. Being satisfied in the food alone. 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:33.559 So that was what they were emphasizing. It's 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:37.420 interesting, it doesn't say that they were loving. 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:44.940 It says that they were feasting. They were feasting, 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:50.039 and that is the activity which the text presents. 00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:53.599 It wants to shine the light brightly on so that 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:59.059 we can see that is what they were doing. Next 00:22:59.059 --> 00:23:04.160 we see their... irreverent and at ease attitude 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:10.819 while they're in the fellowship. We see the way 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.079 they were feasting, the way they were in the 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:17.279 fellowship. What was it? It was without fear. 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:25.859 Without fear. These men were among the people 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:33.009 of God. They were feasting. They were there. 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:39.490 They were not fearful for their souls. They were 00:23:39.490 --> 00:23:43.029 not fearful for the condition or the state of 00:23:43.029 --> 00:23:49.509 their salvation. They were not there with a reverent 00:23:49.509 --> 00:23:53.410 awe of who God is and what He has done and the 00:23:53.410 --> 00:23:56.390 fact that they are beloved in God the Father. 00:23:58.089 --> 00:24:02.329 They are at ease among the people of God without 00:24:02.329 --> 00:24:11.549 fear. They have no respect for the work of what 00:24:11.549 --> 00:24:14.730 Christ Jesus has done to bring that fellowship 00:24:14.730 --> 00:24:20.890 together. They have no respect for the fact that 00:24:20.890 --> 00:24:25.049 God killed his own son on the cross. They are 00:24:25.049 --> 00:24:31.269 taking advantage. of the church of Christ. They're 00:24:31.269 --> 00:24:36.750 using the church. They're at ease. They're simply 00:24:36.750 --> 00:24:40.430 there to fill their bellies and have a good time 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:47.269 and to enjoy themselves. They are not there with 00:24:47.269 --> 00:24:53.789 an intentional and meaningful and purposeful 00:24:54.730 --> 00:25:00.190 walk intending to edify and to build up and to 00:25:00.190 --> 00:25:05.670 encourage and to support God's people. They are 00:25:05.670 --> 00:25:09.750 there without fear. Finally, we see their selfish 00:25:09.750 --> 00:25:17.609 motivation of these pretenders. Why were they 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:21.390 doing what they were doing? Why were these people 00:25:22.070 --> 00:25:25.210 Why were they doing it without fear? Why were 00:25:25.210 --> 00:25:29.250 they even in the midst of this fellowship? Why 00:25:29.250 --> 00:25:31.049 were they doing it? What was their goal? What 00:25:31.049 --> 00:25:33.869 was their motivation? What was driving them forward 00:25:33.869 --> 00:25:37.089 in life as they were deceiving the people of 00:25:37.089 --> 00:25:44.589 God? They were there caring for themselves. Some 00:25:44.589 --> 00:25:48.809 translations say they were shepherding themselves. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.859 They were ministering, they were caring, they 00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:59.599 were nourishing themselves. What drove them to 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:04.140 do what they did among God's people was not God's 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:09.380 people. It was themselves. The motivating factor 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:12.579 in their life for their behavior, for their attitude, 00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:16.119 for their desires, for their wishes in life, 00:26:17.099 --> 00:26:19.940 It was not to encourage and support and lift 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:23.200 up and edify God's people, to glorify God and 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:27.160 to magnify His Son. Their goal was to care and 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:31.539 take care of themselves. Their purpose, their 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:38.059 motivation was themselves. It was inward facing. 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:44.980 So we see their selfish motivation. Finally, 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:50.160 we see a caution for the fellowship that these 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:54.480 men are in. Now this is a really difficult text. 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:59.220 In verses 12 -13, whenever he starts using this 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:02.839 metaphorical language, metaphors are really hard 00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:06.440 when you're interpreting a passage because you 00:27:06.440 --> 00:27:09.940 want to be sure that you do not over -spiritualize 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:13.480 what they're saying. You want to take them for 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:17.000 face value and the most simple meaning, don't 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:20.299 put too much into it. And so it's really hard 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:26.119 to determine the exact purpose that Jude had 00:27:26.119 --> 00:27:29.920 in using these four metaphors. One author said 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:35.180 that he ransacked land, sea, sky, and ocean to 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:40.019 show the spiritual emptiness of these men. And 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:44.839 so we see... that he uses land, sea, sky, and 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:48.619 water in these. So looking at these metaphors 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:54.299 first, we see they are clouds without water carried 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:58.859 along by winds. Now, I know there are people 00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:04.259 in this room who love rain. There are people 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:08.180 in this room who absolutely adore rain. And when 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:11.539 they see those clouds rolling in, They are very 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.259 hopeful. They are very hopeful that water is 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:18.660 going to pour out of them onto their fields. 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:25.079 But the point of this metaphor is this. Though 00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:29.220 those clouds should rain and give refreshing 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:35.859 showers, they don't. They don't do what they're 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:39.680 supposed to. They're empty. They're void of rain. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:45.680 They're empty. It's a cloud, but it's a useless 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:56.119 cloud. Second, we see autumn trees. Autumn trees 00:28:56.119 --> 00:29:03.839 without fruit. That's strange. Autumn trees, 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:06.900 that's when it's supposed to have this bountiful 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:10.950 harvest. Autumn is supposed to be the time when 00:29:10.950 --> 00:29:14.210 you get the most fruit. Why are they unfruitful 00:29:14.210 --> 00:29:18.849 in autumn? There's no fruit. There's something 00:29:18.849 --> 00:29:26.509 wrong. So we see autumn trees without fruit, 00:29:26.849 --> 00:29:32.089 doubly dead, uprooted. So now that the trees 00:29:32.089 --> 00:29:34.950 do not bear fruit when they are supposed to bear 00:29:34.950 --> 00:29:39.289 fruit, the owner of the tree, rips them out of 00:29:39.289 --> 00:29:41.930 the ground and burns them because they're useless. 00:29:43.369 --> 00:29:48.650 They're of no use. So we have a tree that doesn't 00:29:48.650 --> 00:29:52.809 bear fruit and a tree that's ripped up and burned 00:29:52.809 --> 00:29:57.549 because there's no use for it. It's no good. 00:29:58.430 --> 00:30:02.670 It feeds nobody. It gives nourishment to no one. 00:30:04.250 --> 00:30:09.619 Then we see wild waves of the sea. casting up 00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:14.220 their own shame like foam. Now this metaphor 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:18.099 is a little tricky because he mixes in a moral 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:23.519 quality, shame, with the physical usage of this 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:27.059 metaphor. So it's tricky. The emphasis is on 00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:31.819 the foam, the shame coming to the surface. So 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:37.630 have you guys ever seen foam in an ocean? on 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:42.029 the beach, I was looking at this. It's crazy. 00:30:42.230 --> 00:30:45.630 I mean, it's like, it's crazy. It's this thick, 00:30:45.809 --> 00:30:51.450 it's almost like really dense bubbles. But if 00:30:51.450 --> 00:30:56.250 the ocean is clean in this area and the foam 00:30:56.250 --> 00:31:01.049 washes up on the shore, then the foam is going 00:31:01.049 --> 00:31:07.309 to be fairly clean. If the ocean is nasty, dirty, 00:31:07.529 --> 00:31:10.990 or muddy, or there's debris and there's junk 00:31:10.990 --> 00:31:15.470 everywhere, then the foam on the shores, it's 00:31:15.470 --> 00:31:19.190 going to be filthy. And everybody's going to 00:31:19.190 --> 00:31:21.849 be able to see it. If you walk on that beach, 00:31:22.029 --> 00:31:24.690 you'll get it on you. If you want to go swim 00:31:24.690 --> 00:31:28.170 in that ocean, you are bound to get that dirty, 00:31:28.309 --> 00:31:34.920 yucky foam on you. So we have... Not clean foam 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:38.099 washing up as a result of these crashing waves, 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:41.960 but we have dirty foam that's filled with these 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:48.220 men's shame. Their shame because of their sinfulness. 00:31:49.380 --> 00:31:54.599 And then finally, we see wandering stars for 00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:59.000 whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:04.839 The emphasis is on the wondering. The wondering. 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.720 Now, when we see a star in the night sky, we 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:13.500 look up. I'm sure there's some kids in here that 00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:16.880 can answer this. When we look up and we see a 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.039 star in the night sky, is it bouncing around 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:21.400 all over the place and going over there and coming 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:25.559 back? No, it's right. That's exactly right. It 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:30.509 is fixed in one place, isn't it? It's not moving. 00:32:31.190 --> 00:32:34.869 And it's bright and it's shining. So if I wanted 00:32:34.869 --> 00:32:37.250 to go out into the woods and get lost and I saw 00:32:37.250 --> 00:32:39.750 a star and I knew that was the right star, I 00:32:39.750 --> 00:32:42.569 could find my way home. I can navigate based 00:32:42.569 --> 00:32:47.569 on that star. But if a star is wandering and 00:32:47.569 --> 00:32:52.109 it is never still, it's never in its fixed position, 00:32:52.410 --> 00:32:55.589 I could not navigate. I could not make a single 00:32:55.589 --> 00:32:58.869 decision based off that because it's always moving. 00:32:59.390 --> 00:33:05.369 It's unreliable. It's unreliable. So in all of 00:33:05.369 --> 00:33:12.670 these four metaphors, we see that there is the 00:33:12.670 --> 00:33:17.390 appearance of the object, but it's not doing 00:33:17.390 --> 00:33:21.869 what it's supposed to be doing. We see a star, 00:33:21.890 --> 00:33:24.170 but it's wandering. We see waves that should 00:33:24.170 --> 00:33:26.950 have clean foam, but they have dirty, yucky foam. 00:33:27.289 --> 00:33:29.650 We see trees that should have fruit, but they 00:33:29.650 --> 00:33:33.069 don't have fruit. We see clouds that should have 00:33:33.069 --> 00:33:36.289 refreshing rain pouring out of them, but they 00:33:36.289 --> 00:33:38.089 don't. They're barren. They're empty. There's 00:33:38.089 --> 00:33:41.150 nothing in them. They're dry. They're barren. 00:33:42.490 --> 00:33:46.630 And that's exactly what these men in this church, 00:33:46.650 --> 00:33:51.009 in this fellowship are like. They have the appearance 00:33:51.009 --> 00:33:56.029 of the Christian faith. They have the form of 00:33:56.029 --> 00:34:01.069 godliness. But there's no substance. There's 00:34:01.069 --> 00:34:04.569 no content within them. There's no power. There's 00:34:04.569 --> 00:34:08.050 no life within them. They are deader than a doornail, 00:34:08.090 --> 00:34:12.710 and they're saying they're Christians. That's 00:34:12.710 --> 00:34:16.690 what's taking place in this text. So what can 00:34:16.690 --> 00:34:22.710 you and I... Today, in 2018, what can we learn 00:34:22.710 --> 00:34:27.190 from this text? How do we apply this to our life? 00:34:29.449 --> 00:34:33.869 First, I think it's very important that every 00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:38.909 single one of us, myself included, we constantly 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:44.570 examine our own life. To make sure there's not 00:34:44.570 --> 00:34:48.590 just the appearance of Christianity and that 00:34:48.590 --> 00:34:51.289 there is always the substance and the reality 00:34:51.289 --> 00:34:57.010 of Christianity in our own soul. We're not just 00:34:57.010 --> 00:34:59.650 walking the walk and talking the talk, but is 00:34:59.650 --> 00:35:04.010 there life and passion in your soul? Is there 00:35:04.010 --> 00:35:14.320 conviction within you? Do you fight sin? Do you 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:18.159 grow? Do you have struggles? But the grace of 00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:23.460 God holds you up. So for each of us to examine 00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:26.320 ourselves, to make sure we don't have the appearance 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:30.559 or an outer shell, but there's no life or content 00:35:30.559 --> 00:35:37.679 or substance within us. I think that when Jude 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:41.869 gives us four metaphors, And in looking at this, 00:35:41.989 --> 00:35:46.969 if we go to verse 19, there's a reason that they're 00:35:46.969 --> 00:35:51.550 empty shells because they're devoid of the Spirit. 00:35:52.309 --> 00:35:56.670 The Spirit of God is not in them. Is the Spirit 00:35:56.670 --> 00:36:00.650 of God at work in your soul, sanctifying you, 00:36:00.809 --> 00:36:05.849 growing you, challenging you, changing you, transforming 00:36:05.849 --> 00:36:09.110 you from one degree of glory to the next degree 00:36:09.110 --> 00:36:13.389 of glory? Is the Spirit of God at work? And do 00:36:13.389 --> 00:36:16.349 you know that you have the Spirit of God? Does 00:36:16.349 --> 00:36:19.309 your spirit testify with the Spirit of God that 00:36:19.309 --> 00:36:25.250 you are a child of God? Every single one of us 00:36:25.250 --> 00:36:27.829 need to examine ourselves on a regular basis 00:36:27.829 --> 00:36:30.550 to see as to whether we are in the faith or not. 00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:35.369 That's a biblical instruction. Let us look at 00:36:35.369 --> 00:36:40.360 our souls and see if we are healthy. I think 00:36:40.360 --> 00:36:42.360 the second way that we can apply this to our 00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:46.420 lives is to realize that there's always been, 00:36:46.500 --> 00:36:50.820 within God's people and God's church, there's 00:36:50.820 --> 00:36:53.900 always been Christians and there's always been 00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:58.280 professing Christians. There's a difference. 00:36:59.820 --> 00:37:02.119 There are those who are regenerate and born again 00:37:02.119 --> 00:37:06.440 and there are those who say they are regenerate 00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:08.949 and born again and have made a confession. but 00:37:08.949 --> 00:37:12.550 they're empty shells. That won't change until 00:37:12.550 --> 00:37:17.570 the Lord Jesus returns. So let us preach the 00:37:17.570 --> 00:37:20.710 gospel. Let us look to ourselves. Let us realize 00:37:20.710 --> 00:37:26.389 that there have always been true, genuine, sincere, 00:37:26.690 --> 00:37:29.809 born -again, blood -blot Christians, and then 00:37:29.809 --> 00:37:32.730 there's always been those who have been professing 00:37:32.730 --> 00:37:36.630 Christians. It shows us the absolute necessity 00:37:36.630 --> 00:37:42.460 for... purity within the church, within church 00:37:42.460 --> 00:37:47.440 membership and within a church body to be regenerate, 00:37:47.659 --> 00:37:55.380 to show fruit in our life. So thirdly, there 00:37:55.380 --> 00:38:00.840 is a proper attitude for Christian fellowship. 00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:09.369 If these men were condemned, and criticized for 00:38:09.369 --> 00:38:12.230 feasting and for being among the people of God 00:38:12.230 --> 00:38:16.289 without fear, then that means that they should 00:38:16.289 --> 00:38:21.610 have been doing it with fear. So there is an 00:38:21.610 --> 00:38:24.309 appropriate and there is a proper attitude for 00:38:24.309 --> 00:38:28.530 every single one of us to fellowship with other 00:38:28.530 --> 00:38:33.929 Christian believers. Every single one of us needs 00:38:33.929 --> 00:38:39.210 to realize the... that Christ did on behalf of 00:38:39.210 --> 00:38:41.929 that person that you are fellowshipping with. 00:38:43.969 --> 00:38:50.869 That we should do it in a joyful yet sober manner. 00:38:52.349 --> 00:38:56.670 Enjoying the company of the other person but 00:38:56.670 --> 00:39:02.429 not letting it become pointless. Making it meaningful. 00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:05.420 And I'll talk a little bit more about that in 00:39:05.420 --> 00:39:11.639 a second. And fourthly, fellowship is not about 00:39:11.639 --> 00:39:18.400 the food. It's about the people. No joke, I have 00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:23.230 fallen into that. You know, I go... We've got 00:39:23.230 --> 00:39:26.449 our Thanksgiving fellowship this coming Sunday 00:39:26.449 --> 00:39:29.010 night or this coming Saturday night. I'm so pumped. 00:39:29.090 --> 00:39:32.530 There's so much good food. I'm so excited to 00:39:32.530 --> 00:39:36.050 get that pie and to get that dessert. But that's 00:39:36.050 --> 00:39:41.329 not what it's really about. Fellowshiping with 00:39:41.329 --> 00:39:44.769 the people of God is about the people of God 00:39:44.769 --> 00:39:47.829 and glorifying Christ in our relationships with 00:39:47.829 --> 00:39:52.809 them. That's what it's about. Finally, the goal 00:39:52.809 --> 00:39:58.230 of Christian fellowship is to care for others. 00:39:58.769 --> 00:40:02.590 These men were criticized and condemned because 00:40:02.590 --> 00:40:08.469 they cared for themselves. They cared for themselves. 00:40:09.530 --> 00:40:13.829 So I don't think that it's an accident that we 00:40:13.829 --> 00:40:17.650 have a fellowship meal directly following this. 00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:23.360 My challenge for all of us today as Christians 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:29.179 in a fellowship is to fellowship more concerned 00:40:29.179 --> 00:40:32.500 with the other person you're talking about and 00:40:32.500 --> 00:40:36.159 to make it meaningful and impactful. Ask yourself, 00:40:36.360 --> 00:40:42.280 what's going on in their life? What's taking 00:40:42.280 --> 00:40:46.800 place in their soul? How can I encourage them? 00:40:46.940 --> 00:40:50.219 How can I lift them up? How can I spur them along 00:40:50.219 --> 00:40:54.659 in their Christian walk? You know, so many times 00:40:54.659 --> 00:40:59.059 I will leave a fellowship meal after talking 00:40:59.059 --> 00:41:05.139 with godly men and godly women. And I will leave 00:41:05.139 --> 00:41:09.059 there and I will feel convicted in my soul. I 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:13.659 will feel inadequate and insufficient. because 00:41:13.659 --> 00:41:17.159 I've been so challenged by what they have said 00:41:17.159 --> 00:41:20.099 and what they have told me at that fellowship 00:41:20.099 --> 00:41:24.159 mill. I've been challenged in areas where I'm 00:41:24.159 --> 00:41:28.539 weak. I've been challenged in areas where I struggle 00:41:28.539 --> 00:41:34.019 because of fellowshipping with other Christians. 00:41:34.840 --> 00:41:38.980 That's what fellowship is designed for. Growth. 00:41:39.760 --> 00:41:43.699 It's designed for us circling around and centering 00:41:43.699 --> 00:41:49.400 upon the Lord Jesus Christ. My plea for us today 00:41:49.400 --> 00:41:54.340 and for every believer, born -again Christian 00:41:54.340 --> 00:41:58.320 believer, is that when you fellowship with other 00:41:58.320 --> 00:42:02.139 Christian believers, that it wouldn't just be 00:42:02.139 --> 00:42:04.780 the reality that you are in the same building 00:42:04.780 --> 00:42:07.559 as them and there is a certain proximity between 00:42:07.559 --> 00:42:11.519 you and them. but that it would be a relationship 00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:14.800 between you and them where you seek to edify 00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:18.320 them and they seek to edify you. You realize 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:22.139 that this person is somebody that Jesus died 00:42:22.139 --> 00:42:27.280 on the cross for. That you would encourage them 00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:30.940 and support them and help them to grow.