Jude 11-25, What is our purpose; what are we truly living for?

Jude 11 (NIV)Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.


• Three specific examples are listed here. What are they and what do they mean?
• Way of Cain
• He refused to listen to God's warning
• He fell into sin and disgrace
• Gen 4:5-7 (NIV) ... but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. // 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
• We are not told why the offering was not accepted, but Cain is warned to do the right thing. And he is apparently struggling with sin
• Balaam's error (Num 22-24)
• Apparently, Balaam was hoping to make money off of his walk with God. The story of the donkey is that while Balaam was following God's guidance, he was secretly hoping to make a profit off of the adventure. He was using a spiritual gift for the purpose of personal gain
• Korah's rebellion (Num 16)
• Korah stands against God's appointed leaders after the debacle with the spies
• They, as Levites, felt that they would be better spiritual leaders than Moses and Aaron
• Num 16:3 (NIV) They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"
• APPLICATION: In each case, men rebelled or wanted to rebelled against specific instruction from God, because they thought they knew better or had a better plan


Jude 12-13 (NIV) These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.


• Why would they be blemishes at the love feast, and what is a love feast?
• A love feast would be a pot luck where they also would celebrate communion
• They are blemishes because they don't care for (love) others but only for themselves. How would this be seen?
• Not bringing a fair share
• First in line
• Largest portions
• Shepherds (suggest leaders) who only feed themselves. Their priority is on their own stomach (which also goes back to the illustration of Israel and the Exodus, and the desire to feed their own stomachs)
• Why "clouds without rain, blown along the wind?"
• They look good but don't really provide any nourishment
• They are influenced by the current breeze and not founded on the word of God
• Why "autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted -- twice dead?"
• Autumn trees are beautiful
• Autumn trees are past the harvest time
• These trees produced nothing of value, no fruit
• These trees are uprooted, meaning they have nothing to tap into for true nourishment
• These trees are twice dead, meaning they produce no fruit (dead) and they have no root system (doubly dead)
• APPLICATION: What fruit do we produce? What are we doing to develop are root systems?
• Why "wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame?"
• Have you ever watch the waves bring in the garbage of the sea
• These men just bring garbage
• Why "wandering stars?"
• Technically these were the planets. They were called wandering because they did not follow the order of the other "stars" but did their own thing
• It is one thing to do your own thing when you have solid scriptural guidance, but it is quite another to revolt against established truths just because you don't like it


Jude 14-19 (NIV) Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.


17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.


• Here, Jude quotes a book familiar to a Jew but apocryphal, i.e., not scripture
• In this context, Jude's using it would mean that it is a true statement
• Four times the word "ungodly" is used. Again that is the irreverent, the scoffer, the one who mocks truth
• The message to the ungodly: there is a judgment coming
• Some other characteristics of this group is described …
• Grumblers -- negative attitude about things whenever life does not go the way they want
• Faultfinders -- they see others faults but not their own. These people use the term hypocrite more often than anyone else
• Follow own evil desires -- appetite directs their lives, not the word of God
• They boast about themselves -- very prideful
• They flatter others for their own advantage -- we have all met they weasel-ly, oily creatures
• Characteristics of the last days
• A lot of these type of scoffers following their own ways (describes today)
• They divide churches
• They follow business models, not spiritual guidance
• They do not have the Spirit (therefore they are not believers)


Jude 20-25 (NIV) But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.


22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.


24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.


• For ourselves, Jude says
• Build yourselves up -- that is done through the word of God
• Pray -- grow in your relationship with God
• For others
• Deal mercifully and gently with those who have doubts
• Stand up and defend the truth of the gospel -- there are people all around you who are falling into the devil's trap because all they do is listen to scoffers -- you can save them, but you can't if you haven't studies the questions yourself
• For some, be fearful. Sin is very dangerous. You may think you are helping but if you get too close to the fire you will be burned
• Set limits
• Flee sin