Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20080511.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Jude: God's Call To Contend Earnestly For The Christian Faith
Part V: Overcoming Formidable Apostates In God's Gracious Provisions
(Jude 17-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. Apostasy is a formidable challenge to true Christianity, but it can be overcome in God's program.
    2. Jude 17-25 provides a divine program for countering apostasy in our own lives and in the lives of fellow believers with whom we have contact (as follows):
  2. Overcoming Formidable Apostates In God's Gracious Provisions, Jude 17-25.
    1. The first step in overcoming apostasy is to recall Scripture's words about apostasy to clarify what is true and what is false opposite the deceptive efforts of apostates that we face, Jude 17-19:
      1. Apostates and their deceptions are strong, being fueled by Satan's power, Rom. 16:17, 20; 1 John 4:1.
      2. Accordingly, the first step in overcoming apostasy is to get into the Word of God to recall what Satan tries to get us to forget about spiritual realities we were once taught, Jude 17-18 with Matthew 13:19:
        1. After giving his extensive description of the false apostates his readers faced (Jude 4-16), Jude called his readers simply to remember the words spoken unto them by the Apostles of Christ, Ju. 17.
        2. Jude specifically noted the 2 Peter 3:3 warning about latter day mockers, referring to the First Epistle of Peter, meaning we believers need to stay actively involved in reading Scripture, Jude 18.
        3. This directive coincides with Jesus' observation in Matthew 13:19 that Satan tries to remove memory of the truth of God given to a party if he does not understand so as to apply it in his life! It is thus imperative to counter the forces of evil we face by staying preoccupied with God's Word!
      3. Jude continued, applying the truths he earlier mentioned along with Peter's past warning, noting the divisiveness, the "natural" as opposed to the spiritual, and the lack of the Holy Spirit in these godless, unsaved apostates, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Jude 19.
    2. The second step in overcoming apostasy is to apply Scripture's directives on strengthening our spirits in God's grace opposite the weakening of our spirits caused by apostates and their efforts, Jude 20-21:
      1. Having solidified their bearings on what is true versus what is false by recalling Scripture, Jude called his readers to build themselves up in their "most holy faith", Jude 20a. This means edifying themselves by progressing in their knowledge of Christian beliefs, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 923.
      2. In addition, Christians should "pray in the Holy Spirit," a reference to praying in proper relationship to the Lord by being filled with the Holy Spirit, Jude 20b; Ephesians 5:18b; Ibid.
      3. Jude added that his readers should keep themselves in the love of God, Jude 21a. This expression refers to what John meant in John 15:9-10, to applying God's Word to one's life, Ibid.!
    3. The third step in overcoming apostasy is to nurture other believers we meet with instructing them on these first two steps, applying them in each case according to the needs of the individuals involved, Jude 22-23:
      1. For fellow believers who waver between apostate error and the Scripture's truth, we must show mercy, encouraging and convincing them of the truth, Jude 22; Ibid.; Ryrie, Ibid., ftn. to Jude 22.
      2. For unsaved people who are very susceptible to apostate errors, we must evangelize, figuratively snatching them out of the fire of hell in the process, Jude 23a ESV; Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N. T.
      3. For carnal believers who are becoming heavily influenced by apostate errors, we must show mercy, but be careful to protect our own hearts and minds in the process from their spiritually unedifying influence due to the power of the error they are adopting, Jude 23b ESV; Ibid.
    4. The final step in overcoming apostasy is to trust God's ability to give us the victory, Jude 24-25: the Jude 24-25 doxology is one of the most extensive ones in Scripture, and it focuses on the ability of God to keep us from falling into spiritual defeat, cf. esp. Jude 24. Jude had a complete trust in God's power to preserve His people's spirituality, and we must follow Jude's lead to trust the Lord for the same achievement!
Lesson and Application: To overcome apostasy, may we (1) recall Scripture's truths, saturating our minds with it, (2) may we increase in our knowledge of that truth, (3) may we then pray for God's help in trials with apostasy in fellowship with Him, (4) may we apply Scripture to our lives, (5) may we help fellow believers apply these four previous steps and (6) trust God to give us the victory in the end!