The lutheransermons's Podcast

Study of the Letter of Jude Part 5 - Verses 8-16

Last week, we heard Jude’s continued description of the false, “ungodly people” who had “crept into” the church “unnoticed,” (Jude, v.4) yet were a great danger to God’s faithful people, because of their “dreams,” “rejection of authority,” “blasphemy,” “defiling the flesh… by following their own sinful desires,” and on and on (Jude, v.8,10,12-13,16).

We skipped over additional passages in which Jude described parallels in other places to such evil and the judgment that God sometimes brought upon such sinfulness. We want to go back to those passages now to see Jude’s emphasis upon the seriousness of rebellion against God and His will and how God does care about such evil and can bring judgement for such sin.

Turn to Jude, v.11. The first example is Cain, in Genesis 4:1-16, and how some, in the churches to whom Jude wrote, were “walking in the way of Cain.” Cain had given an offering which was not acceptable to God, and he became “very angry” at God and jealous of his brother. God pointed out his sin and called him to repentance and to battle that sin. Cain became even more angry and went and killed his brother, claiming that he had no responsibility for him. When God brought judgment upon him, Cain could only complain about the situation he had brought on himself. Even when God showed some mercy, Cain simply “went away from the presence of the Lord,” with no sign of repentance. (See the comments about Cain, also in Hebrews 11:4 and I John 3:12.)

The second example Jude gave (Jude, v.11) was of of Balaam (Numbers 22-24). False people in Jude’s day were also “abandoning” God’s way “for the sake of (personal) gain” and “Balaam’s error.” Balaam was a non-Jewish “seer” who had some ability to bless or curse people - which he would do for personal gain. He also had some contact with the one true God. King Balak of Moab tried three times to get Balaam to curse the people of Israel, headed his way from Egypt. The Lord kept telling Balaam to bless the Israelites instead. Balaam kept talking with King Balak, though, as if he still thought he could get some personal gain from him. The Lord even allowed a donkey to talk to Balaam and block his way as he tried to reach King Balak. Eventually Balaam was killed by Israelites because of these incidents and because he was involved in getting Moabite women to have immoral activity with Israelites and even to worship their false god, Baal. (See also Numbers 25:1-3 and 31:8,16.)

This small story of “Balaam’s error” and greediness may not seem like a big deal, but it is often mentioned as the Old and New Testaments go on, because it eventually led to people falling away from the one true God into unbelief - the ultimate reason for judgment from God. (See mention of Balaam in Deuteronomy 23:4-5, Joshua 13:22 and 24:9-10, Nehemiah 13:2, Micah 6:5, 2 Peter 2:15-16, Revelation 2:14, and this passage in Jude, v.11.) In the same way, Jude did not want any of God’s people in these churches led astray by the false people. 

The third example given by Jude (still in Jude, v.11) was “Korah’s rebellion” (Numbers 16:1-35). Korah and two other Levites, along with their families and others, rose up against Moses and Aaron. They challenged their leadership and thought they had failed since the Israelites were not yet in the promised land. They thought they were all “holy” and that they should also have the right to be priests like Aaron. Just helping in some ways in the tabernacle wasn’t enough for them. By the next day, even more people had been led to support these rebels. God told Moses and Aaron and those who supported them to separate themselves from the rebels, and all of the rebels would be destroyed. Moses and Aaron pleaded for God’s mercy for those who had just been misled. God gave them a chance to separate from Korah and the others leaders of the rebellion. Many did, and then the earth opened up and swallowed up Korah and all the remaining rebels. This made it clear that these rebels had “despised the Lord,” and were receiving just punishments from the Lord Himself for their rejection of the Lord and His will and plans.

Some think that Jude was led to choose this event from the Old Testament also because the false people who had crept into the churches to whom he wrote were creating many problems just like Korah and the others who despised God long ago. Just judgment would come for them, too, if they continued in this way, the Lord was saying, through Jude. At the same time, in the story of Korah’s rebellion, God had shown mercy to some who were straying. That suggests that Jude may have also been reminding that there was still hope for people in these churches to whom he writes, through repentance and renewed faith in Christ. He said that even more clearly in verses we will look at, next week.

There are two more references that Jude makes to the past that I need to speak about, which are “controversial.” I can’t go into great detail, but some have thought that Jude was quoting from non-Biblical sources, The Assumption of Moses or The Testament of Moses, in Jude, v.9, and from the Book of Enoch, in Jude, v.14-15. For that reason, some have spoken against this letter being included in the New Testament. However, the early Christian leaders accepted and widely used this letter, and it was recognized as Scripture by most, though they knew of but rejected the writing listed above as being actual Scripture from the Lord.

How can we understand this? Why would Jude refer to events from such materials? Inspired by God, Paul quoted things that were true, even from non-Christian writers. See 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Bad company ruins good morals” - probably from a familiar play from Menander. See also Titus 1:12, and a quote from the pagan Cretan, Epimenides. Jesus spoke of events of His own day that were familiar to people - the fall of a tower in Siloam, for example, in Luke 13:4. Pastors still today quote from current events or songs or other materials to connect with what people know and to make a truthful point. It does nor mean that everything said by Menander or anyone else, or what is said about them, is always true or correct.

Jude wrote as God inspired him, and God must have revealed to him what he said about the archangel Michael disputing with the devil over the body of Moses, in Jude, v. 9. We know from Scripture that the Lord took care of the burial of Moses in Moab, as recorded in Deuteronomy 34:4-6. The Lord often used angels to accomplish His purposes, though, and this must have been one of those circumstances.

There is a mysterious vision that Daniel sees and hears in Daniel 10, in which Daniel is told that the angel Michael struggled with an evil angel for 21 days in Persia. Such things happened. In Zechariah 3:1-6ff, the angel of the Lord defended Joshua the high priest, while Satan accused him, and it is the Lord Himself who said, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan.”

This is exactly the point Jude was making, when referring to the archangel Michael. When he disputed with Satan over the body of Jesus, Michael spoke only as an angel, and left the final judgment to the Lord. He did not pronounce a judgment in his own power. That would be blasphemous. That is what Satan and the evil angels did when they rebelled against God, wanting to be equal to Him. Michael was content to be an angel, serving God, and would only say, “The Lord rebuke you” to Satan. The Lord, as God, was left to make the final judgment.

This ties in with what the false people who had crept into the churches to whom Jude writes were doing. Jude, v.10, says “These people blaspheme.” They were contradicting God and His Word and will and acting on instinct, not Scripture, like unreasoning animals, and like Satanic angels, attacking what was actually true and right. How dangerous that was!

Again, in Jude, v.14-15, God inspired Jude to use only words similar to what was in the Book of Enoch, words that were true, that predicted the Lord Himself coming with His holy angels to bring judgment on the ungodly on the last day. Four times ungodliness is mentioned in these verses, with the seriousness of “deeds of ungodliness that they have committed” as “ungodly sinners” and the things they “have spoken against Him,” the Lord. These are predictions that are found in plenty of other Old Testament and New Testament passages, as well, of the judgment of God for sin. This is exactly what those false people in the churches needed to hear, who seemed to think that God did not care what they did - that they could “follow their own sinful desires” in whatever way they pleased, while calling themselves faithful Christians (Jude, v.16).

Again, Jude, as inspired by God, only referred to what is true, in mentioning Enoch. That does not mean that Jude agreed, as Martin Franzmann said, “with the whole non-Biblical books” about Enoch or Moses, “with all their strange and bizarre features, as authoritative or inspired.“ They were not.

(Enoch is another mysterious person in the Scriptures. He is seventh in line from Adam. See Genesis 5:22-24: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” See the comment about Enoch in Hebrews 11:5, too. Enoch was clearly one who lived by faith and sought to please God and was not like those false people described by Jude.)

This has been a difficult section of Jude. If I have lost you in this explanation or you have questions, let me know. Next week we will finally see the application of all this to the faithful people in these churches to whom Jude wrote and how they are to carry on in living by faith in very difficult circumstances.

Sermon for the 2nd Sunday in Advent - December 4, 2022

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent, based on:

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon originally delivered December 8, 2013

Preparing for Worship - December 4, 2022

The Advent season continues this week, with prophecies of the coming of Christ for the sake of all people, both Jews and non-Jews. The psalm is Psalm 72:1-7. Solomon was a great Old Testament king in many ways, but this psalm predicts Jesus, a King “greater than Solomon” (Luke 11:31). Jesus would bring “justice” and “righteousness” and “peace” available to the “poor” and the “children of the needy” and to people “throughout all generations,” culminating when even “the moon” is “no more,” in eternal life in heaven.

The Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 11:1-10, also is a prophecy of Jesus, who would come from the family line of Jesse, the father of King David. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of the Lord,” and live with “righteousness” and “faithfulness” for the sake of all “peoples” and “nations,” in His saving work. (See Luke 1:30-33.) The picture image of all kinds of animals living together in peace and children being in perfect safety is an image of eternal life to come in the “resting place” for Christ once His saving work is completed, and for all believers, through Him.

The Gospel lesson, Matthew 3:1-12, tells of John the Baptist’s role in preparing people for the coming of Christ Jesus by calling them to repentance for their sins and to receive his baptism. John’s work was prophesied. (See Malachi 4:5-6 and Luke 1:16-17.) And John himself prophesied and  taught that Jesus was “the Lord” and was the “mightier” One, who would institute baptism not just with water, but with the Holy Spirit. He would come to be the Savior of all, but some would resist and reject Him and be like unfruitful, useless chaff to be burned, instead of fruitful wheat to be gathered up to Him.

The Epistle lesson is from Roman’s 15:4-13. Paul reminds the Christians in Rome to keep listening to the Word of God, for “endurance” and “encouragement” and “hope.” Christ “became a servant to the circumcised" (to the Jews) to “confirm His promises” of salvation prophesied in the Old Testament. He came also to bring His mercy, (His forgiveness and salvation) to the Gentiles, the non-Jews, and quotes a number of Old Testament prophesies regarding that, too. Therefore, Gentiles and Jews should “welcome one another,” and “glorify God with one voice,” as Christ has welcomed all. Then they can together “be filled with all joy and peace” and “hope,” “in believing” in their Savior “by the power of the Holy Spirit,” through that Word.

Sermon for Midweek Advent I - November 30, 2022

Study of the Letter of Jude Part 4 - Verses 8-16

Last week, we heard Jude telling of Old Testament examples where God clearly did care about wrongdoing that was being done and brought judgment on those wrongdoers - some of the children of Israel, who kept rebelling against God; angels who became evil and opposed God; and Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns, where much immorality and other evils were happening (Jude, v.5-7).

Jude went on to write, then, in Jude, v.8, that some people in churches to whom he wrote were acting in evil ways “in like manner.” First, they were “dreaming” dreams and visions and seemed to be relying upon them, and therefore were willing to “reject authority” that God Himself had established in His Word, the Scriptures. Certainly, God had sometimes spoken to His prophets and apostles and some others, through dreams and visions. These divinely inspired people spoke, though, with a united message about the one true God and His Word and will, revealed by the Holy Spirit.

There were many warnings, in contrast, about false dreamers. See the strong message from the Lord in Deuteronomy 13:1-6 about “a dreamer of dreams” who tries to lead people away from the one true God. Verse six also warns that such people often try to “entice you away secretly,” just as those false teachers “crept in unnoticed” into the churches about whom Jude is so concerned and created such trouble (Jude, v. 4). See the warnings God gave through Jeremiah about false “dreamers” in Jeremiah 23:25-32,29:8-9 and Ezekiel 13:1-7 and Zechariah 10:2. Jesus Himself said about such false prophets, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 6:16).

Such false “dreamers” were rejecting the “authority” of God and “denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ,” and much of what He said, Jude wrote (Jude, v.8). The word for “authority” here means “lordship,” and it is the Lordship of Christ Jesus and His Word that was being ultimately being rejected. This was also evidenced by the way these people were “defiling the flesh” by their gross sexual immorality, against the Word of God, and by blasphemy. The Greek literally says that they “blaspheme the glories.” Some think that means the glorious ones, the angels, who are spoken of in verses following. Others think this refers, above all, to the Most Glorious One, our Lord Jesus. And the word “blaspheme” means to speak, most especially, against God (Jude, v.8).

Skip ahead for a moment to Jude, v.10. Jude gave another description of these false people. “These people blaspheme all that they do not understand.” And why do they not understand? They are living “instinctively,” by personal feeling and emotion, like “unreasoning (irrational) animals.” They are not being guided by God and His Word in Christ above all, and not even by common-sense human reason. “Woe to them!” Jude said. Such a life and lifestyle will lead them to being “destroyed” (Jude, v.10-11).

Skip ahead again, to another description of these false people in Jude, v.16. Jude simply said that these were people actually “following their own sinful desires,” ignoring Christ the Lord and His will for them and the blessings and guidance He could give them as their Savior. They were “grumblers” and “malcontents,” not able to see the blessings coming to them if they would only trust Christ. Instead, they thought they had to build themselves up, as “loud-mouthed boasters” in themselves, and by “showing favoritism” to some, only for the sake of personal gain and advantage for themselves, and not with genuine care for others.

All this could obviously be dangerous for and harmful to the faithful believers in Christ in these churches to whom Jude wrote. Skip back now to Jude, v.12-13. Jude piled up the words about these false people. “They are hidden reefs at your love feasts.” Scholars have argued over the meaning of the word translated “hidden reefs." Some think it means a rock, hidden in water, which a boat could hit and be harmed or sunk. Others think the word means a “filthy spot” or “blemish” which makes something look bad and pollutes it..

Either way, the false people were corrupting the “love (Greek word- “agape”) feasts,” the fellowship meals and then the worship and Lord’s Supper in early Christian churches. The false people were participating “without fear” - apparently without concern for the true believers who were there and their needs, or for proper preparation for Communion, themselves, through repentance and trust in the Real Presence of Christ in that Holy Meal. Some were pretending to be “shepherds” (pastors) for the church, the flock, but were only interested in “feeding themselves” and their self-interest and desires. (Paul wrote about this particular troubled situation in the churches in Corinth, too, in his first letter to the Corinthians. Read 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 and 11:17-32.)

As far as helping others and serving others within the churches, these false people were useless. They were like “waterless clouds,” swept by the wind and providing no water, no nourishment for anyone. They were like “fruitless trees in late autumn,” with no leaves to shade or fruit to give to anyone. They were “twice dead” with no life to give to anyone and “uprooted,” with no means by which to receive nourishment and new life themselves (Jude, v.12). They were like “wild waves of the sea,” very destructive and only dragging up and dumping the pollution of their own “shameful” lives. They were like lost, “wandering stars,” headed for “the gloom of utter darkness… forever” (Jude, v.13).

What a gloomy picture Jude painted. And he had more to say that we skipped over, as far as how other Scriptures and other writings speak of the judgment coming for such evil. We will look at that next week and then begin to hear, “What were God’s faithful people to do in a world and even in churches with so much trouble and evil?” We need to keep asking, too, “Do we face such problems today - even in our churches? What are we to do? We will eventually hear some great Gospel promises, too. There is always hope in Christ, even for the churches described here!

Sermon for the 1st Sunday in Advent - November 27, 2022

Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent, based on:

Isaiah 2:1-5

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon originally delivered December 1, 2013

Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve - November 23, 2022

Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve, based on:

Deuteronomy 11:13-16

Philippians 4:4-13

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon originally delivered November 27, 2013

Preparing for Worship - November 27, 2022

This Sunday is the first Sunday of a whole new church year, as we begin the season of Advent, in preparation for the coming of Christ. We prepare especially for His coming at Christmas, but also for His coming to us again and again through His Word and Sacrament, and His coming again on the last day. The Scriptures can speak to any of these “comings.” The Gospel lesson is often from the Gospel of Matthew in this church year.

The psalm is Psalm 122. David was glad to be able to come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. It was a place of God’s presence and His giving of peace and security to His people. It was also a place for God’s people to pray for that peace, through Him, and give thanks to Him for His goodness. Our churches provide such a place for us today.

The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 2:1-5. This is a prophecy of the Lord Himself “teaching His people His ways,” as He came in the Person of His Son, Jesus. Jesus would teach people to follow Him and “walk in His paths.” He would be “the Light of the Lord”  and “the Light of the world,” as “nations would flow to Him” and He and His disciples would take “the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem,” to all peoples. He would bring bring ultimate peace through what He would teach and do as the Savior.

There are two alternatives for the Gospel lesson. It can be Matthew 21:1-11, where Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on a lowly donkey on His way to the cross to pay for the sins of the world and to bring peace with God. If churches prefer to read this lesson on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, an alternative reading is Matthew 24: 36-44, where Jesus taught about His coming again at an unexpected hour on the last day. God’s people are to “stay awake,” spiritually, waiting by faith for Him and His return. There will be, then, the final separation of believers from unbelievers.

The Epistle lesson, Romans 13:(8-10)11-14 also calls God’s people to be spiritually “awake,” for the day of His return, the day of “salvation.” We put on Christ at our baptism (Galatians 3:26-29) and we are to continue to live in His light, with “the armor” of His Word and His good gifts He gives us. That also means seeking to cast off the “works of darkness” and our sinful desires, and to live in Christ’s love, reflecting His love to our neighbor - those people God has placed around us. That is what Jesus first has done for us, as our Savior.

Study of the Letter of Jude Part 3 - Verses 4-7

Last week, we heard Jude asking the people to whom he was writing to be ready to “contend,” to “fight” for the Christian faith which had been delivered to them (Jude, v.3). The danger was from “certain people who had crept unnoticed” into the church and were “ungodly people” who were “perverting the grace of our God into sensuality.” The word “sensuality” means some kind of “excess,” a “lack of restraint,” “indecency,” usually of a sexual nature, though not necessarily limited just to that. Sometimes the word is translated as “lasciviousness” or “wantonness,” some sort of “shameless conduct” that is immoral and goes beyond the bounds of public decency (Jude, v.4).

The fact that Jude calls this behavior a “perversion of the grace of God” seems to mean that these people were taking for granted the mercy and forgiveness of God, in Christ, and felt that they could now do whatever they wanted to do, as if God did not care about their behavior anymore. Jesus had said, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36). These people seemed to be interpreting statements like that to mean that they now had a license from God, a freedom through Jesus, to do whatever they chose.

It was the same sort of problem that Paul spoke of in Romans 6:1-4, when he wrote, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Rather, we were baptized and connected to Christ, so that we “might walk in newness of life” - not to follow our old sinful nature and desires, without concern. (Remember Paul’s warning in Galatians 5:19-24 not to live in “the works of the flesh,” but to live by the Holy Spirit, in His good fruit.)

Jude had earlier (at the beginning of Jude v.4,) called these “ungodly people” those who “long ago were designated for this condemnation.” Jude went on (in v.5-7) to give three examples of people in the Old Testament who had gone away from God and His Word and will and were clearly condemned.

Jude first wrote about the children of Israel who were saved from slavery in Egypt and brought out and led toward the Promised Land. Sadly, many of them soon grumbled and complained and rebelled against God, and while Moses was with God on Mt. Sinai, they did what they wanted and broke commandment after commandment and worshipped a golden calf they had made and were involved in other immoral behavior. As a result, many died, and over time, almost all of that generation died and never made it into the Promised Land. (See Exodus 32 and Scripture warning such as Deuteronomy 28:15ff.)

Jude also clearly said that God “afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” Unbelief is the most serious problem, that leads to condemnation if people are not brought back to Christ. Jude also said that the churches had been taught these warning and he was reminding them again of these, so that they might repent before being destroyed themselves (Jude, v.5). (By the way, some manuscripts have Jesus, the Lord, or the Christ or a combination of these names for God, mentioned here as “saving” the people from the Egyptians. God the Son was there in the Old Testament, too, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, doing the work of the Triune God, long before He came and took on human flesh as a true man, as well as being God, for our salvation.)      

The second example of judgment given by Jude, in verse 6, was that of the angels who were created perfect, as special servants of the Lord, but then were not satisfied with their “position of authority” and rebelled against God and are now condemned, to some degree “bound,” and are now just awaiting the final judgment. (See Revelation 12:7-12 and 20:1-3, 7-10 and 2 Peter 2:4 and Hebrews 2:14-15 and Luke 10:17-20, etc. Jesus has already made certain the final defeat of Satan and all his evil angels.)

The third example that Jude gave, in verse 7, was of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their destruction, because of rejecting God’s will and “indulging in sexual immorality, and pursuing unnatural desire” (literally, pursuing “other flesh”). This is a reference to homosexuality and other perversions, some of which I don’t want even to mention. (See Genesis 19, Deuteronomy 27:20-23 and 29:23-26 and Leviticus 18:23, and 20:13,15-16, etc.)

The fact that this example is used might give us an idea of the widespread kind of immoral perversions going on among some people in the churches to whom Jude wrote, too. Such following of their own desires was a clear denial of their Master and the Lord Jesus and His will; and such perversions were not acceptable and needed to be fought against, especially when they were happening with people in churches. (Another example of this was in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2.)

Remember again that the Greek/Roman world was very immoral and corrupt, with hardly any sexual standards or standards of other kinds. Christians tried to be an influence on the culture, but sometimes the culture and philosophy of that time influenced Christian people too much. This might be a good time to remember that Peter was dealing with some of the same issues in his second letter, too. Some think Peter wrote first and was predicting some of what Jude was seeing a few years later - or vice versa. Look especially at 2 Peter 2:1-19 and how similar this is to what Jude writes about.

We don’t have time in this study to compare the two letters very much, but will keep focusing in Jude. Keep thinking about similarities to our own day. More next week!

We are still in the “bad news” portion of the letter, with much law and warnings and past examples, to wake people up to the truth and make it clear that God still does care about what Christians do in His Name. We will see how He is calling people back to Christ and His forgiveness and new life above all, as we go on.

Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year - November 20, 2022

Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, based on:

Malachi 3:13-18

Colossians 1:13-20

Luke 23:27-43

Sermon originally delivered November 24, 2013