Jude: How To Stay Faithful, And Avoid False Teachings

The book of Jude is short and doesn’t get a lot of attention. Books with more familiar names like 1 John, or even 1 Peter are slightly longer but more sermons are written about them. I also think it’s name recognition. Not a lot of people know who Jude is.

My first thought was, who is Jude? Turns out, he was a brother of Jesus like James. He probably traveled with the apostles as well. In 300 AD when they decided on the canon for scriptures they must’ve known who Jude was.

Taken at face value, he saw what his brother did, and heard many of his teachings. In addition to that knowledge, his writings mirror John and Peters. I’ve written a lot about those books and I have linked above to them.

I often wonder if the family of Jesus thought they’d missed the boat, they didn’t travel with him that often. At the very least the bible doesn’t mention them until much later. When they are mentioned it says they have come to speak with him. Mark 3:31-35

I wonder what they needed to speak with him about. A lot of people have said they’d come to take him away and get him help. But if Mary was with them, she would know the strange circumstances around his birth, she would know the truth.

…Right?

Greetings from Jude

¹ This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

² May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

Jude: 1-2

Called by God, and Slave of Jesus Christ:

Anytime I hear the phrase peace and love, I think of tye-dye shirts, Volkswagen vans, and hippies from the 60s. However, this phrase wasn’t invented in the 60s. Peace and love are something every Christian should be enveloped in.

One of the goals I have in my life is for everyone who comes in contact with me to feel the love and peace of Jesus. And with hope and a prayer, I’ll be able to share it with them about it. I want the presence of God to flow out of me, and transform everyone it touches.

I try to talk with people daily about the love of Christ. Sometimes I’m a coward, but the presence of God is in us. And I believe he can make things work out even when we are silent. (not the best plan though)

Sometimes it just happens. I think it’s a major lie that we have to always say something. Sometimes the best witness is living a peaceful life surrounded by God’s love.

(To clarify, sometimes we need to speak, and other times live our lives. Listen to God and let him speak to you)

What is the Main Message of Jude?

³ Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 

⁴ I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. ⁶ And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 

⁷ And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

Jude 3-7

The Main Message of Jude Is to stay Faithful and Avoid False teachings while Digging Into God’s Truth:

John 3:16 says that God loved the world and sent his son Jesus to die because he loved us so much (I paraphrased but check the link if you don’t believe me).

If we focus on Jesus and his teachings we won’t ever be led astray. There’s a lot more to it, but when we place leaders on a pedestal and don’t question anything. Only bad things will happen to us.

Every so often I hear from Christian friends that they are tired of going to their church. Their argument is always the same.

“I’ve heard the same sermons over and over, I want something new.”

The Book of Jude Is Saying We Need To Dig Into Truth Ourselves While Staying Faithful

Believe it or not, this is a good thing. It means the Brother or Sister has grown and they have retained the knowledge. The bad part is they don’t understand why they are in Church.

Going to church was never about being fed for the week. That’s where your daily prayer, bible reading, and DeVos come in. Going to church is more about meeting with like-minded individuals, worshiping God, and making sure believers grow in their faith.

Whenever I run into someone who says that I tell them that’s great, and I ask where they serve at church. This means they’re ready to lead, they haven’t realized it yet.

The entire point of this section in Jude is to warn us to prepare. We are responsible for our growth in Christ. Church leaders carry responsibility as well, but ultimately if we get led astray, it’s because we haven’t learned enough truth and oftentimes we choose to be led astray.

Many Christians stay in a feed me phase when thinking about church, and instead, they need to be in church saying I’ll help feed them.

Your daily walk with God is more important than Church (on a personal level) and your time on Sunday, Saturday, or whenever is where you need to pour into others.

If you only feed, eventually you’ll eat whatever is given to you. Even if that bread is poisoned with false teaching. This is why I love Jude, and the only way to combat this is to keep growing and meet with like-minded believers. You should study your bible because your soul depends on it.

Jude: Many People Who Are Two-Faced Liars

⁸ In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. ⁹ But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 

¹⁰ But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. ¹¹ What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

¹² When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 

13 They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to the blackest darkness.

Jude 8: 8-13

Jude 8 Having the Appearance of Godliness But Denying the Power Thereof.

Enoch (See below) prophesies about these people, and they’re everywhere. I’ve written extensively about false teachers in 3 John and there’s also more info in 1 John 4.

The reason these people are dangerous is that you don’t know when they’ll pop up. Many times they’ll lie in wait and when you’re in distress they attack. It’s like when a wolf or hyena finds a weak or sick animal in the pack. They will try and take you down then.

They are usually after:

1. Money
2. Power
3. Prestige

Jude: Enoch Gave A Prophecy in Ancient Times

¹⁴ Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones ¹⁵ to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

¹⁶ These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

Jude 14-17

¹⁷ But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. ¹⁸ They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. ¹⁹ These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, ²¹ and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

²² And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. ²³ Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Jude 17-23

Jude: A Call to Remain Faithful

The truth of the matter is most of these people are hurting, and they’re trying to fill that pain with something they think will fulfill them. My list above contains the usual culprits

When everything blows up, it’s crucial to hang onto Jesus and listen to his voice. You’ll hear a multitude of ways that you never thought of handling the situation, and eventually, it’ll work out.

It just sucks badly during the interim.

The key here is to love the toxic person, no matter what is thrown at you. They are trying to validate their pain, and anything you throw at them will validate their feelings.

It’ll also annoy them to no end if you choose to love them, and it will stick with them for a long time. When they finally hit rock bottom, they’ll remember how you treated them, and they’ll reach out.

This is when you can pray for them, and they might find deliverance. They have to want it and know that it’s an issue in their life.

Jude: A Prayer of Praise

²⁴ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 

²⁵ All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Jude 24-25

My Final Words:

As I do these it’s a humbling experience. My final words compared to these amazing apostles mean nothing. Sometimes I wish that I could have a few minutes (or days) with Peter, Paul, or anybody who knew Jesus. I desperately want clarity.

But then I realize that I’m being dumb, I have their writings, and I can listen to the voice of God. Jesus went to heaven so the comforter could come. This means we have a constant connection to his presence, and there’s nothing Satan or his demons can do about it.

If you’re feeling lost, and don’t know where to go. Ask God for help, he will find a way to reach you. I can guarantee it. If he sent his son to die for us when we didn’t even realize we needed saving. I’m sure he will reach out to you.

Just ask.