Jude- 2 Peter
2.
The Preaching Against Dirty Christianity
Jude 1-4
“My dear friends I was very eager to write you about the salvation we have in common. But I was strongly impressed to write and urge you to fight hard for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (people of God).”
“The reason is that godless people, whose condemnation was written about years ago, have slipped in unnoticed among us (by the side door).They are people who distort the grace of God to use it as an excuse to practice their immoral ways.” (Jude 4)
A. Christianity Distorted
When Jude says people slipped into the churches changing the grace of God into and excuse of license to do wrong, he was talking about a world view known as gnosticism. It was confined to any one group, but, like “New Age” thinking today; it colored how people looked at life and ultimately, how they interpreted the Bible. Simply put, they believed God, who was good; had absolutely no contact with anything physical, which was evil. That is why the philosophers in Athens laughed at Paul when he preached the “resurrection of the body” (Acts 18)
Changing the Scriptures they had to fit this belief they had false beliefs about Christ. Some said Jesus was God (spirit) and only appeared to be a man (flesh and blood). Others said He was only a man, and was not God. That is why John talks of hearing and touching Jesus (1 Jn. 1:1-4) and says Jesus “was God / and was made flesh” (Jn. 1:1/14)
But Peter, Jude and John deal most with their false beliefs about Christian behavior. In a heresy (false teaching) called perfectionism, a few said our souls (spirit) could overcome the flesh, and we could and should get to the place where we never sin. That is why First John says anyone who claims he does not have a sin nature (1:8); or claims he does not sin, does not know the truth (); and is lying ().
But most Gnostics in the church jumped on the other bandwagon and produced the defiled Christianity Jude, Peter, and John attack. In a heresy knows as antinomianism (no laws or rules), they said the physical body was the work of Satan and would not survive death. Therefore they concluded it was alright to give our physical bodies and appetites over to any sin we desire. They claimed salvation while living in sin
People may claim they are Christians while living in willful sin, but in their heart of hearts, they know they are living a lie. Before I became a Christian and knew more than five Bible verses, I knew Jesus wanted not only to forgive me, but to change me into a person who lived a life of love and purity. I didn’t know James 1:27, but the Holy Spirit had written it into my heart (Rom. 2:12-12-16),
“What God considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: taking care of orphans and widows in their suffering and keeping oneself unspotted by the world.” (James 1:27)
Jude’s first answer is:
B. Christianity Demonstrated (1-2)
“This is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother to James. It is for those who have been called, who are the beloved of God the father, and who are kept by Jesus Christ.”
“May mercy, peace and love overflow for you.”
The best argument for Christianity is a Christian and the brother of Jesus was a good one. He shows us Christianity is a personal choice. Brought up in the home of Joseph and Mary, he could have told us that, but he simply calls himself the slave of Jesus. God has no grandchildren. Just because we are part of godly family, does not mean we are right with God. Mary and her family, saw Jesus risen from the dead, and took their place in the upper room, waiting for the Holy Spirit to come down (Acts 2:14)
He shows us Christianity is a response to God’s love and invitation. We do not come banging on God’s door until he knocks on our door (Rev. 3:20). The NT writers did not see themselves as those who searched for and found God; but as people “called” by the Holy Spirit. I love the church sign that says, “Evangelism- we catch them; salvation- God cleans them.”
He shows us Christianity is accepting God’s love. God loves all men (Jn. 3:16). This does not stop at death, so God loves people in hell. The difference between people in heaven and people in hell is that people in heaven have accepted the love of God, and the “mercy” of forgiveness that comes with it. That is why Jude calls them God’s “beloved”. As your Pastor, I love you, but only the close members of my family are my “beloved” ones.
He shows us that Christianity is submission to Jesus as Lord. He calls himself the slave of Jesus. This was an honorable title in the Greek OT for some of God’s greatest servants. But it was also the most humbling Greek term there was for servant- it was doulos, the word for the lowest slave their was- one completely owned by his master, and one who lived only to obey.
He shows us that the forgiveness of sins, and a life lived in submission to Jesus, is the pathway to “peace”. If we are honest, we all want the same thing- to be happy. We want peace and joy. Some get married to find it and some get divorced. Some get money to find it and some give their money away to find it. In our frantic search we are miserable. We take more drugs; and drink more liquor to find peace than any generation in history. We have everything but joy. And this peace comes to all who make it their priority to live good lives for God; to rely on His forgiveness; and to have the hope of heaven when we die.
A man said to a Christian, “You Christians are a bunch of dreamers.” The Christian replied, “Maybe so, but don’t wake me up- its wonderful.”
Finally, Jude shows us Christianity is not something we do in our power. We are “kept by Jesus Christ” This is the usual term for “to keep or hold fast”. It was used for Peter being kept in a jail (Acts 12). When we come to Christ for salvation, we trust him to give us the three blessings of salvation: forgiveness; new birth and heaven. When we ask God to change us, He changes us in the miracle of the new birth. And this change keeps our desires the same- to please God and love others. And when temptations come, God does not allow us to be tempted above our ability to overcome (1 Cor. 12). But most of all, Jesus, in the person of the Holy Spirit, and praying for us in heaven as our high priest, keeps us saved.
I believe in once saved, always saved, not because I am a Baptist, but because I find it in the Bible, and because I need it in my life. I am not strong enough or wise enouth or good enough to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. I says with Spurgeon:
If ever it should come to pass
That sheep of Christ could fall away
My feeble, fickle, soul alas
Would fall a thousand times a day
God’s word gives us the promise of permanent life. Salvation is called “eternal life” and if something lasts for five minutes or five billion years, it is not eternal. In this life given we become, Peter says, “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pte. 1:4). In the new birth we become an “new creation” (2 Cor. 5); and who can undo what God has created?
God’s word gives us the promise of protection. Jesus says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (). Jesus in John 10 says we are in His hands and in the father’s hands; and nothing can take us from Him. Peter tells us that on our way to heaven, we are “kept safe by God’s power for the salvation that will be revealed at the end of time.” (1 Pet. 1:5) This is a military term for a garrison of soldiers protecting something. Jude may have heard Jesus promise things like this, and says Jesus will keep us. And in verse 24 he shouts his praises from the roof top,
“And now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to bring you faultless and full of joy, before his glorious presence / be glory, majesty, might and authority.’ (Jude 24f)
You don’t have to believe in eternal security to be a true Christian, but it sure gives us more peace along the way.
Spurgeon loved to tell about two men who crossed a frozen lake in the middle of the night. One was crawling on his hands and knees, trembling, and fearing that any moment the ice would break. A man on a wagon, pulled by six horses, thundered past him, singing as he went. Both, Spurgeon said, made it across the ice, because they trusted in the ice to support them. It is the object of our faith, not the strength of it that saves us.
B. Christianity Delivered
The world today looks at us and asks, “Where do you get the idea that some things are right and some are wrong. Who put you in charge of me. You have never seen God or heard his voice; how can you presume to tell me what he wants of me?”
1. Faith in a Delivered Scripture
Our only answer is that Jesus Christ, who lived 2000 years ago, and was put to death by the Romans; claimed to be God; acted like God; and proved to be God by rising from the grave. We find this in the Scriptures that were “delivered once for all to the saints”.
The word “faith” here does not mean our personal faith in Christ, but the body of truth, the Christian teachings that lead us to Christ. It means true Christianity. And it was “delivered once for all” in the NT, which completed the OT. God chose to reveal Himself to man, by forming a nation from Abraham (Gen. 12), interacting with it, and raising up men to record an accurate record and interpretation of His dealings.
Peter said 1 Pet. 1:12,
“No prophesy ever came from the will of man. The men were under the control of the Spirit of God as they spoke the message that came from God.”
God’s ultimate goal, told to Abraham, 2000 years before Christ, was for his people (saints) to one day carry this truth to all nations (Gen. 12:1). This began at Pentecost (Acts 2) when the Lord went up; the Holy Spirit came down; and the church and the gospel went out.
Our authority for using the Bible is Jesus Christ. He called his OT Bible e called “the Word of God / the speaking of the Spirit / etc.” ().
Believing in an OT Bible, the church expected a NT Bible, for God’s ultimate revelation in Jesus. Peter, writing in the AD 60’s says that some of Paul’s letters came from the “wisdom given to him by God” and made them part of “scripture” (3:15-16) Oddly enough Peter, in his letter was also writing NT “scripture” and probably did not even know it. And so was Jude
2. Faith in a Delivering Salvation
Jude calls Christianity “common salvation” because if one word sums up Christianity, it is salvation.
The name Jesus means, “The Lord saves”. The first message about Him was, “He will save his people from their sins.” (). Jesus said He came to this earth “to seek out and save sinners” (). The Bible was written to give us the “wisdom leading to salvation” ().
The term means deliverance, illustrated by Peter, who, when drowning, cried out, “Lord save me!” Jesus delivers us from the damning penalty of sin in forgiveness (justification); from the dominating power of sin in the new birth (regeneration and sanctification) ; and from the very defiling presence of sin (glorification), in heaven, when we will be sinless like Him (1Jn. 3:1-3)
C. Christianity Distorted
“His divine power has given us all we need / We escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” 2 Pet. 1:3 / 4
“They deny Jesus Christ our only ruler (despot-master-ruler) and Lord (kurios).” - Jude 4
Counterfeit Christians love deliverances one and three. They love being “washed in the blood” and love talking about “walking the streets of gold”. What they don’t love is having a God who tells them what they can and cannot do. They pray with Augustine, “Lord, make me good, but no too good.”
Their main problem is a defective conversion, where they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, but not as the ruler and Lord of their lives. Jude says, “They deny Jesus Christ our only ruler (despot-master-ruler) and Lord (kurios).”
Two Conditions of Salvation
The Bible tells us there are two conditions of salvation and they are summed up in three words. We are willing to commit to turn (Convert) from a life controlled by sin (repent), by the faith that Jesus will forgive us, change our hearts, control our lives and let us go to heaven when we die. Scripture say of salvation:
“Repent then and turn (convert) to God, so your sins will be wiped away / Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 3:19 / 16:31)
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.” (2 Cor. 7:9)
Lordship- In true repentance we are willing to make Jesus the Lord of our lives. The word of “Lord / master” here is despotes from which we get the word “despot”, an absolute ruler. James was the brother of Jesus, humanly speaking, but like the Apostles, his self chosen title for himself was “bondslave” (v1) of Jesus.
.More than Deity- Some conservatives deny that salvation requires our willingness to make Jesus the master of our lives. They point out that the word Lord “kurios” was the name for God in the Greek OT (Ps. 23, etc.). Accepting Jesus as Lord, they say, is to believe that He is God, and has nothing to do with committing to live a holy life.
We do believe, against Gnosticism; that the human Jesus was also God. But the people living in sin don’t have a problem with that. They like the truth that He is God because He forgives them and takes them to heaven when they die. What they do not want is anybody, including God, telling them what they can and cannot do. That is why Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord (kurios), and do not do what I tell you?” (). That is why he said he would say to preachers at the Judgment,
“Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven / I will say (to preachers who worked for me), “I never knew you (no real relationship). Go away from me you doers of evil.” – Mt. 7:21-23
True repentance is moral and ethical to the core When people asked John the Baptizer what it meant he told them to share their goods with others, feed the hungry, be honest in business and be satisfied with your wages (Lk. 3:10ff). The key word is willingness. When a man or woman says, “I do” at the altar, they do not know what he is getting into; what that all involves. But he is committing to it.
We cannot promise God we will never use profanity, be unkind, tell lies, etc. again. We can’t lose weight, much less promise to life like Jesus Christ. But we can want it, and we can trust Him to change us. Galatians says if we can make ourselves right with God by obeying the law, being good, then Christ died for nothing. What God asks for is willingness, not ability.
