Harsh Judgment

REVIEW - Jude is warning the church to safeguard the truth

Week 1- The greatest threat is false teaching from within the church (enemies attacking faith, a Lord defending our faith)… we are called to preserve the purity of the Gospel (WHO ARE WE BEING WARNED ABOUT)

Week 2 - We’ll recognize these false teachers by their pride (claiming authority, mocking God, misrepresenting truth)… we are warned not to be so quick to accept shallow teaching (WHAT ARE WE BEING WARNED ABOUT)

WHY ARE WE BEING WARNED - Harsh Judgment is coming for the false teachers

14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.  —Jude 14-16 (ESV)

Jude begins this section with a reference to a prophetic word from the OT patriarch Enoch. Scripturally speaking, there is very little known about Enoch. Genesis 5 gives us some genealogical information concerning him, but beyond that, all we know is contained in these verses:

Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.  —Genesis 5:23-24 (NLT)

We do not have any spoken words attributed to Enoch in this section of Scripture. Yet, Jude quotes a prophecy concerning God’s judgment. Scholars have puzzled over the absence of any reference in the Old Testament to this prophecy attributed to Enoch.

Since Jude’s statement is similar to a passage in the apocryphal Book of Enoch (1:9)—thought to have been written before 110 BC and thus probably known by the early Christians—many assume that Jude is quoting from that book.

Other scholars have suggested that the disparity between Jude’s words and the Book of Enoch indicates that Jude received the information about Enoch directly from God, or that under divine inspiration, he recorded an oral tradition.

To be clear, none of these views affects the doctrine of inspiration adversely. If Jude quoted the apocryphal book, he was affirming only the truth of that prophecy and not endorsing the book in its entirety.

And the tone of that prophecy (along with the rest of verses 14-15) is consistent with other predictions and affirmations of God’s coming judgment:

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done.  —Romans 2:4-6 (NLT)

Just before the death of actor W.C. Fields, a friend visited Fields’ hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible. Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, "I’m looking for loopholes."

There are no loopholes at the judgment but there is hope, but only in Christ as our Savior!

BIG IDEA: Everyone will ultimately face judgment, but for some specific matters the Lord may judge more critically

• God will judge ungodly acts
• God will judge ungodly words

1 Don’t aim at adding to the number of teachers, my brothers, I beg you! Remember that we who are teachers will be judged by a much higher standard. —James 3:1 (JB Phillips)

31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  —Hebrews 10:31 (NLT)

So this morning, we want to focus our attention on WHY such harsh judgment was going to given out to these false teachers. Last week, Frank shared with us that these false teachers would be identified by their pride and this week, we want to see how that pride demonstrated itself is ungodly actions and words that would mark them for harsh judgment but God.

At the same time, we will contrast their ungodliness with actions and words with the intended behavior of faithful believers and Godly teachers!

16 These people always complain and find wrong in others. They always do the evil things they want to do. They boast about themselves. The only reason they say good things about others is to get what they want.  —Jude 16 (ERV)

• They are Self-Righteous

These people always complain and find wrong in others

1. They build themselves up by grumbling and lamenting about everything. They imply things outside of their control or planning are inherently flawed.
2. They build themselves up by tearing others down. They are quick to point out others imperfections
3. They are the modern day Pharisees, wondering aloud why everything and everyone cannot be more like the standard to which they ascribe.

“I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.”  —Luke 9:11-12 (NLT)

CONTRAST - Those who commit to contend for the faith and safeguard the truth…

• Do not ignore reality, but understand that God is still in control
• Do not ignore sin, but celebrate the power of grace and mercy

Illustration: Prodigal Son

We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”  —Luke 15:32 (NLT)

1. They are Self-Destructive

They always do the evil things they want to do

1. There is no concern for the consequences of their actions, neither for themselves or for others.
2. Jude seems to indicate that they have a full grasp that they are doing things that are immoral and ungodly, they simply do not care.
3. Their lives are in a downward spiral but they selfishly want to simply pursue their own desires rather than to consider the repercussions of their ungodly actions and words. 

Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.”  —Romans 3:13-18 (NLT)

CONTRAST - Those who commit to contend for the faith and safeguard the truth…

• Weigh the gravity of their choices and sincerely seek to serve God with those choices
• Acknowledge the destructive nature of sin as well as the cost of redemption

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.  —Romans 3:22-25 (NLT)

1. They are Self-Conceited

They boast about themselves

1. Frank talked last week about pride being the underlying source of all sins, but few sins are so closely aligned with pride as boasting and bragging.
2. Left unchecked, boasting tends to grow and exaggerate without regard for its validity or impact on ourselves or others.

As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’  —Daniel 4:30 (NLT)

1. Note the expansion of his arrogance … look at the great city of Babylon (implying his pivotal role) … By my own mighty power (stating his essential role) … to display my majestic splendor (inviting the admiration of others for his singular role)

You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  —Revelation 3:17 (NLT)

CONTRAST - Those who commit to contend for the faith and safeguard the truth…

• Give glory to God for all they have and all they do
• Surrender to the truth that without grace and forgiveness we are indeed wretched and miserable  (broken-hearted and without hope) and poor (spiritually empty) and blind (lost in darkness) and naked (having nothing of value)

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  —Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

1. They are Self-Minded

The only reason they say good things about others is to get what they want 

1. They are so absolutely focused on their own selfish desires, that the only reason for complimenting or encouraging someone else is to further their own agenda or personal gain.
2. They are at the same time noisy and full of themselves, hoping to impress anyone who might listen; especially those they deem important, so as to get some advantage out of it!

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?  —James 2:1-4 (NLT)

CONTRAST - Those who commit to contend for the faith and safeguard the truth…

• Reflect the love of Jesus Christ to all, knowing that we have been called to love our neighbor as ourselves
• Accept that the true reward for good deeds and encouragement of others is the recognition and acknowledgment of God

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’  —Matthew 25:34-36, 40 (NLT)

CONCLUSION

In clear terms, Jude identified the false teachers and their ungodly actions and words. He exposed their character to warn believers of their true nature and their final destiny. At the same time, he laid the groundwork to call his readers to action against these ungodly men and their practices.

NEXT STEP: Let Godly actions and Godly words properly prepare you for judgment.

The sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light. — 1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NLT)

An umpire named Babe Pinelli called Babe Ruth out on strikes. The crowd booed, but Babe Ruth argued with the umpire, saying, “There’s 40,000 people here who know that the last pitch was a ball.” The umpire replied calmly, “Maybe so, Babe, but mine is the only opinion that counts.” Believers should remember that God’s judgment is the only one that counts. We need to rely on God’s choices for us, even if they are not popular at the moment.