Jude – An urgently needed epistle, for our place and time. 

Given the hyper-sexualized character of our present day, nothing is more needed than the reminder that being led by our sinful impulses, out of order with God’s parameters for human sexuality – even now crept into the Church – is under the condemnation of God, and will result in the severest judgments. The Church in every age is called to holiness under the Lordship of Christ Jesus – irrespective of any supposed revelations or imagined anthropology that gives license to sexual abandon.

Let us begin:

Jude – 

A slave of Jesus Christ

Brother of James

To those – 

Called to be God’s

Beloved in God the Father

Kept by and for Jesus Christ

I wish you multiplied 

Mercy

Peace

Love

Purpose – 

I was eager to write to you about what belongs to the Christian life we both share,

But I find it necessary to narrow that focus, and to urge you to contend for the very essence of The Faith itself – that which is already settled and has been delivered to the Church once and for all – needing no emendation.

Why? – 

Because there are some specific individuals who have become part of the Church, received among us as part of us – whom God has always designated to be condemned for what they do. These are – 

Ungodly

Ungodliness shown above all in perverting the Gospel of grace by making it a matter of felt things rather than submission to Christ as Lord. In the process, this gives license to sin.

So let me remind you of some foundational truths you already know – (once received already) – 

Don’t be surprised at this. 

Let me give you 3 historical examples of those who refused to live in the holiness of serving Christ in order to indulge their sinful impulses: 

A. Even after delivering the Jewish nation from Egypt’s bondage, Jesus had to destroy unbelieving ones within their communion. 

B. And even in Heaven itself, there were angels – beings created to minister to humanity, who had to be purged, because they failed to submit to Christ, refusing to keep within their assigned bounds. Those who even now are kept in eternal chains of gloomy darkness until the final judgment. 

C. The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, despite righteous Lot being among them. They were so given over to this impulse toward sensuality they fell too into sexual immorality and exemplify how God judges such behavior. 

With all of this well known, these ones today, who have crept in among you, claim some sort of new revelation (other than what you’ve already received) which frees people to pursue the sexual immorality which is so defiling, and is at its heart a rejection of the Lordship of Christ, and leads them even to blaspheme those who would be holy – angelic or human!

You know how disordered this is when you consider that even when Michael the archangel was disputing with the Devil over Moses’ body, was not filled with impudence, but in reverence to his station before God, simply said: “The Lord rebuke you.” He kept his station.

But these folks? The talk glibly about high and holy things. Talk which will eventually find them destroyed by God. They imagine that if they have an impulse toward something, they are free to do it – like animals who act only by instinct. This is the essence of the sensuality they practice and preach. 

So watch out! 

They act just like Cain – He followed his wicked impulse and ended up murdering his brother.

And putting on prophet’s robes like Balaam, they are more interested in what they think they will gain by their sin, than in serving Christ rightly. 

They are condemned just like those along with Korah in his rebellion against God’s order – especially when they rebel against godly leadership.     

This being the case – they are dangerous to you. Their teaching and lifestyle is like hidden reefs to those of you on course, sailing toward Heaven. They will bring your Christian life to shipwreck. 

They even partake of the Lord’s table as though all is well. 

In truth, they take positions of authority simply to feed their own sensual appetites. And they have no benefit to your souls, like fluffy, waterless clouds have no substance and provide no benefit to a farmer whose crops need rain.

And, like clouds, they are just blown about by any wind of doctrine. 

In truth, they have absolutely no useful or nourishing fruit. They not only produce dead works, they are spiritually dead inwardly. They have no roots in the truth once for all delivered. All their activity is just so much churned up sea-foam. Empty froth. They are like wandering stars that can give no navigable light. And their end, is to be cast into eternal and utter darkness. 

Once again, this is not new or unexpected. Long ago Enoch prophesied that God would come with His holy angels to execute judgment upon such for their ungodly deeds, done in the most ungodly ways, all of which spring from their ungodly rejection of Christ’s Lordship. 

What are the features by which you can detect them? 

A. They are grumblers regarding anything which does not please them.

B. Never content with God’s assignments and providences.

C. They follow their own sensual desires about e everything else. 

D. They are boisterous and proud in their deportment. 

E. And they play politics in the Church to get positions of power. 

They refuse to be ruled by anything but self.

So don’t forget, the Apostles and Christ Himself said such would invade the Church. As Peter too has said, these will arise in these last times – given to following ungodly passions. 

And because of this trait, they will cause divisions in the Church. For they are worldly, not concerned with Christ’s kingdom and its character. 

So let me tell you how to respond to all of this.

1. Dig down deep into the bedrock doctrines of your Christianity. Revealed truth above feelings. 
2. Pray in concert with the Spirit’s goals and work in your life – conformity to the character of Christ.
3. Not over-reaching by trying to live in the fulness of our inheritance now, but waiting the proper time for all that is to be ours in Christ at His appearing. 
4. In these, and to these, work with others. Draw them back to this focus. 

Some will be unsettled by what is taught by these interlopers. Help steady such in the truth.

Some others will actually buy into their false teachings. Do what you can to snatch these out of the fire. Bring them back to those once-for-all delivered truths.

Some may even get caught up and follow their wicked example and fall into the same sins. Labor to bring them back, knowing that a powerful delusion is at work.

And be careful yourselves – hate even the stench of all this, that can easily rub off on you. 

And so, with this warning, I commit you to the One who is able to keep you from stumbling in the same way; even Christ alone who can present you blameless before the Father and His glorious presence with great joy in spite of it all. The Church will not fall. 

Oh, praise our Lord Jesus Christ – to whom belongs all glory, majesty, dominion and authority. To whom alone all of these have always belonged, and always will. 

So be it.