Sermon 15 in Series on Jude--(Also Attached In WordPerfect 9.0 Format)
Posted by: jnthrower <jnthrower@...>
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
THE BOOK OF JUDE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE APOSTATE--OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
JUDE 12-13
I. APOSTATES ARE SPOTS IN YOUR FEASTS OF CHARITY. (VS 12)
A. Apostates Are Spots Or Blemishes Upon The Fellowship Of Believers.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).
The feasts of charity referred to were called love feasts by the early church.
They were fellowship meals that the church celebrated after the services on the Lord's Day.
Each family brought what food they could. This, of course, meant that the wealthy brought plenty and the poor brought little or nothing.
Remember that many of the believers were slaves in that day, so some of them would not be able to bring any food whatsoever.
Some churches had the most joyful fellowship around the love feasts. It provided a time when the believers could share the warmth of their hearts and grow in fellowship together.
It was a time when the Holy Spirit could draw the hearts of believers together in love and joy and care and sharing.
It was a time that the Holy Spirit could use to bind believers together in feelings for one another and in warmth and tenderness.
The point is this: fellowship among believers is a most wonderful time, a unique opportunity to grow and share together. But when false teachers are present, the scene is entirely different.
These false teachers dirty and soil the name of Christ and the testimony of the church.
They profess to be believers and are even teachers of God's Word, but they are not pure.
"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).
Their false teaching disturbs genuine believers and causes division within the fellowship of the church.
"Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:28).
Those who are not rooted in Christ and in God's Word follow and support the false teacher.
Those who are rooted in Christ and in God's Word reject the false teacher.
False teachers always spot and dirty the fellowship of the church because they cause division among the people and destroy the Spirit of Christ among them.
B. Apostates Are Reefs Or Submerged Rocks That Wreck The Fellowship Of The Church.
The Greek word for "spots" (spilas) can mean submerged rocks or hidden reefs that can wreck a ship.
Their teaching is often injected into the church quietly and insidiously, completely unknown to the general membership. Therefore, the fellowship is subject to being shipwrecked upon the reefs of false teaching.
C. Apostates Feed Themselves--That Is, They Fellowship With Believers, Without Fear.
1. There is no fear of God nor thought about the damage they are doing to the fellowship of the church.
2. Their interest is to boost themselves forward; to be recognized as an excellent teacher or preacher, a person of unusual gifts, a teacher with new insights, a teacher who is progressive, who is a notch above others.
The fellowship of believers is spiritual. It is not a social fellowship based upon emotional feelings for one another.
It is fellowship wrought by the Spirit of God. Feelings are involved; but beyond that there is godly love, joy, peace, and purpose, meaning, and significance—all centered around Jesus Christ.
When false teaching is present, all this is disrupted. Therefore, false teaching must never be tolerated in the true church.
II. APOSTATES ARE FILLED WITH EMPTINESS AND INSTABILITY. (Vs 12b)
A. They are like clouds that offer rain to the farmer, but when the clouds arrive, they are driven away by the rushing winds of the storm.
B. They are like fruit trees that seem to be flourishing and that promise fruit, but when harvest comes there is no fruit.
This is a picture of false teachers offering hope to people, but their hope is empty and unstable—just as empty and unstable as the world's fleeting clouds of hope and unbearing promise of fruit.
The false teachers cannot water the seed of God's Word in people's hearts, nor can their teaching bear good fruit within people.
The opinions of false teachers cannot help people in facing the trials and temptations of life, nor can they prepare people to face eternity that lies just over the horizon.
In dealing with eternity—with God, Christ, and the Holy Scripture—the false teacher is nothing more than a cloud without water and a tree without fruit.
He may sound like he offers hope, security, and fulness of life; but his message is unstable and empty and will leave a person hopeless when he meets God face to face.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:15-21).
III. APOSTATES ARE FULL OF SHAMEFUL ACTIVITY. (VS 13)
False teachers teach things that are shameful and ugly and repulsive and that do not belong within the church.
The picture is that of sea waves that rage and foam under the fierce winds of a storm.
After the storm quietens down, there is all kinds of debris strung along the shoreline, debris such as driftwood, seaweed, scum, and all kinds of litter.
The sight is ghastly and ugly and repulsive. The sight is shameful. Thus it is with false teachers.
They foam out their teaching that leaves a ghastly scene upon the church.
What they teach is shameful; it brings shame upon the name of Christ and shame upon the name of the church.
Their teaching is a disgrace, ugly, and repulsive. It is nothing more than useless debris that does not belong in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
IV. APOSTATES ARE WANDERING STARS.
Like "shooting stars" that move across the sky, they shine briefly, and then vanish without producing light or giving direction.
Fixed stars help guide navigators, but wandering stars are not really stars at all and are useless to them.
If any shipmasters would be stupid enough to follow one, he would be led astray.
The prominence of apostate leaders is shortlived, useless, and false.
They do lead unwary followers astray, pretending to be what they are not.
They will therefore be swallowed up into the blackest darkness forever; eternal judgment is certain for them.
These apostates were not unfruitful believers, who would not receive rewards in heaven at the judgment seat of Christ.
Instead they were impostors who would be judged according to their evil deeds.