JUDE---ACTS OF THE APOSTATES
INTRODUCTION
1. Jude, the man
A. He is described as the “brother of James”.
1) Referring to the same James who was the author of the epistle which bears his name and a leader in the early church
2) Both James and Jude were the sons of Joseph and Mary. (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3)
3) Jude is therefore the half-brother of the Lord.
B. He is described as the “bondservant of Jesus Christ”. (v. 1)
1) At first, with the others of the Lord’s immediate earthly family, he was an unbeliever.
2) Now recognizing Jesus as the Christ, he prefers to refer to himself as a “bondslave” rather than a brother.
2. In many points the book is very similar to II Peter.
3. It shows something of the extent and seriousness of the difficulties with which the early Christians had to contend.
DATE: Between 66 and 75 A.D.
KEY VERSE: v. 3
KEY PASSAGE: vs. 24, 25
THEME: Apostasy
1. Defined
A. A falling away, defection
B. An abandonment of what one has voluntarily professed
C. A total desertion of principles or faith
2. Described
A. A departure from the faith (“Apostasia” is the Greek word for “depart”. I Tim. 4:1)
B. A falling away from the faith (“Apostasia” is the Greek word for “falling away”. II Thess. 2:3)
C. An unwillingness to endure sound doctrine (II Tim. 4:3)
D. A rejection of Jesus Christ (II Peter 2:1)
3. Jude is the only book in God’s Word entirely devoted to the great apostasy which is to come (indeed, is already here) upon Christendom before the Lord Jesus Christ returns.
KEY WORDS: Keep and kept: 5 times - vs. 1, 6, 21, 24
OCCASION OF THE LETTER
1. According to Jude’s statement, he had originally planned to write a treatise on the subject of salvation. (v. 3)
2. Because of trends in the church that had grown in which false teachers had become numerous, he found it necessary to write about them and their teachings.
A. Those teachers had stealthily crept in among the believers. (v. 4)
B. They were abusers of the grace of God (cf. Rom. 6:1) and deniers of the Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 4)
C. They were sexual perverts. (v. 7)
D. They were over-proud. (vs. 8, 9)
E. They were potential murderers. (v. 11)
F. They were defiers of the church authorities, greedy impostors, blemishes, self-appointed leaders, empty pretenders. (v. 12)
G. Wild and aimless wanderers (v. 13)
H. Murmurers, complainers, pleasure seekers, boasters, selfish (v. 16)
I. Schismatics and sensualists (v. 19)
J. The knowledge of the presence of these wicked persons among the believers led Jude to write this epistle.
3. To exhort the believers to remain true to the Faith
THE PATH OF THE FALSE TEACHER
1. “They have gone in the way of Cain.” (v. 11) Cain founded a new religion based on works. (Gen. 4)
2. They “ran greedily after the error of Balaam”. (v. 11) Balaam prostituted a divine gift for material reward. (Num. 22-24)
3. They “perished in the gainsaying of Korah”. (v. 11) Korah led a rebellion against the spiritual leadership of Moses and Aaron. (Num. 16)
THE JUDGMENT OF FALSE TEACHERS (vs. 6, 7)
Three examples of judgment in the past forebode the coming judgment upon apostates.
1. Israel - God brought death to an entire generation because of their unbelief. (Except Joshua and Caleb)
2. Fallen angels - God has doomed to the lowest hell the angels who rebelled against His authority.
3. Sodom and Gomorrah - God destroyed them because of their licentiousness.
The conclusion of the matter: If God spared not from judgment the angels, His highest created beings, nor Israel, the “apple of His eye,” nor the one-time great cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He is certainly not going to withhold judgment from them who deny the truth. (cf. II Peter 2:4-9)
OUTLINE OF THE BOOK
Assurance for the Christian (vs. 1, 2)
The Believer and the Faith (v. 3)
Apostates Described (v. 4)
Apostasy in Old Testament History (vs. 5-8)
Apostasy in the Supernatural Realm (vs. 9, 10)
An Ancient Trio of Apostates (v. 11)
Apostasy in the Natural Realm (vs. 12, 13)
Apostasy in Old Testament Prophecy (v. 14-16)
The Believer and the Faith (vs. 20-23)
Assurance for the Believer (vs. 24, 25) --S. Maxwell Coder