Jude 1:4-10 Spiritual Rebels

In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” “Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?” Two cats tied by their tails and thrown over a clothesline. You will have union, but you won’t have unity.

The purpose of Jude is to help the church “contend” for the faith. Why would they need to contend for the faith? Who were they “contending” against? Jude begins to share the characteristics of the people who Jude warns can ruin the church. I like to call them “spiritual rebels.”

Rebel means to resist or defy a generally accepted authority or convention. As a church, we are called to be in unity. Jesus prayed for it. The book of Acts illustrated it. Paul taught it. Peter, John, and Jude warn against people who try to destroy it.

As the pastor, my job is to lead this church. The hardest part of that job is to keep everyone on the same page. The difficulty is that there are people with all kinds of ideas about how the church should function. As a general rule, we have accepted the idea that there are pastors and elders who lead the church. There are deacons who serve the church and help the pastor. The congregation participates and has a vote in some matters. We call it congregationalism. We don’t listen to a pope as our highest authority. We listen to our consciences and the Word of God as it leads this individual church. In some ways, it would be easier if you had a pope. One man to tell you how to run the church. The problem with the way we do it as Baptists is that everyone has a say. Some more than others.

When that’s the case, some people can get into the church, and Satan can manipulate them to harm the church. You say that can’t happen? Jude said it did happen. Peter prophesied it would happen. Read 2 Peter 2 and it sounds very similar to what Jude says in these verses. The difference is that Peter predicted it would happen. Jude says it has happened. The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground. To put it another way: The church is always one generation away from extinction.

Let’s take time to identify the characteristics of these people. Let’s look at the words of Jude as qualities and match them up to us. Do you and I fit the description of the spiritual rebels in these verses?

“For some men, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into promiscuity and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” (Jude 4, HCSB)

Remember I told you that you could read the book of Jude in “threes.” Well, here are two sets of triplets in Jude 1:4. There are six characteristics of spiritual rebels which we need to be aware as we continue to serve God in this church.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIRITUAL REBELS

1. Rare – Some – “for some men.”

Not everyone is a spiritual rebel. There come a time when everyone is not happy with what is going on in the church. A leader can’t make everyone happy. So there are times when everyone wonders what is going on in the church and may want to know how is the church going to change. I have been here a year as your pastor. I had planned to do nothing for a year. I didn’t really want to rock the boat. The reality is that we have no time as a church. We have to keep moving forward. So I understand people don’t understand what is going on. I understand that some people will wonder what’s going to happen. But there are some people who rebel against whatever you do. These are the kinds of people which Jude was talking about. He says that they were some men, but I also believe that can just as easily be women. Satan deceived Eve before he deceived Adam. So some rebels can also be women.

2. Irreligious – Ungodly – “they are ungodly”

Some people may claim to be godly, but they don’t act like it. They are godless. They don’t depend on God. Their hearts are not right. They say they believe in God, but don’t actually listen to God.

“holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!” (2 Timothy 3:5, HCSB)

3. Rogues – Deceitful – “come in by stealth”

They come in secretly. The word literally means coming in secretly through the side door. One minute no one was there, and the next minute they were there. They are secretive. Anyone is secretive about their intentions in the church, that is a red flag. If you got people who act like spies in the church, then that means that they aren’t working for Jesus. They are working for someone else. It means that they have an agenda.

This is the reason why we are developing a process for everyone. We are asking everyone who wants to join this church to come to a new member seminar before they join. Second, after they join, we ask them to join a Sunday School class and go through the discipleship process. This is especially important for people who are transferring from other churches. I know that some people in the past have said that we should re-baptize them and then they will conform to our faith. The fact of the matter is that baptism should not be used as a tool for manipulation. Baptism is for people who decided to follow Jesus Christ. It is not a test of membership. I know that is what we do. The reality is that we need to let baptism be a personal testimony and a spiritual moment for the new Christian. We want people to enjoy baptism. At the same time, we want people to understand what it means to be a Christian and to be a member of the church here.

4. Rivals – Enemies of God’s grace – “turning the grace of God into promiscuity”

Jude warned the church that there were going to be people who abused the grace of God to sin. Paul warned against it as well as Peter.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims.” (Romans 6:6–7, HCSB)

“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6, HCSB)

Paul warned that people would come to the church and try to live lives which were not Godly. They would twist the nature of the Gospel and change it so that they could act any way they wanted. That is why Peter warned about people who were talking about Paul:

“Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15–16, HCSB)

These people don’t want to follow God’s way. Instead of searching the Scriptures to see if what they were taught was true, a spiritual rebel would rather gossip about the teacher. They would rather twist the words of the leaders. The reason is that if these rebels don’t like what they see, they want to get their way. They would rather see the church fall and fail, than to see God work miracles in the lives of the lost who come to Christ.

5. Reject – They deny the fundamental truth of God’s nature “deny Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord”

These spiritual rebels would have you believe that Jesus is not God. They would teach false doctrine. They would say that Jesus a good teacher and a good man, but that he is not God. What do you think about Jesus? Is He God in the flesh? If a teacher comes and they sound great about everything else, but they get this one wrong, you have to watch out. Because then they are not teaching the Gospel.

There are many people out there who teaching what they want you to hear. They are not teaching you what you need to hear. You have to be careful about these folks. They may sound like they know. But they have an agenda.

6. Reckoned – They are going to be judged – “who were designated for this judgment long ago.”

God did not cause them to sin. However, because they sinned, God has set a time in which they would be judged. This is why Jesus said that they would be judged.

“Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40–42, HCSB)

The wheat and the weeds grow up together. God lets the spiritual faith and rebellious to stay together. In the end, there will be a judgment for the spiritual rebels.

“Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: The Lord first saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling. In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them committed sexual immorality and practiced perversions, just as angels did, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 5–7, HCSB)

SPIRITUAL REBELS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

CASE #1 – UNBELIEVING ISRAELITES

Jude then gives us a reminder of what God did in the Old Testament. There were non-believing spiritual rebels in Egypt. God delivered the people whom He saved. However, the non-believing spiritual rebels perished. Notice that the rebels were with the redeemed at the same time. God kept the redeemed from perishing in Egypt. God keeps believers from perishing now. Believers will not encounter the same judgment as unbelievers.

CASE #2 – REBELLIOUS ANGELS

God also judged a group of angels. These angelic rebels tried to stop God. They left heaven and instead of being a servant of God, they tried to slam God’s plan. Some scholars believe that these angels joined Satan in his initial rebellion against God. Other scholars say that Jude is referring to angels who left Heaven and sexually joined some women which created a human hybrid race. This human-angelic hybrid would prevent the birth of Jesus Christ. That may sound like a Hollywood to some, but many people who don’t know the Scriptures may think that aliens have invaded the planet to help us. In today’s world, many people will believe many things. In that case, God sent a flood. He saved Noah and his family. However, everyone else was destroyed.

Regardless, these fallen angels left their post and position, disregarding their responsibilities. The warning in this judgment is against pride and lust.

By the way, do you know why God told Noah to build an ark? He told him the right dimensions to save the all the people from this spiritual rebellion. Instead of listening to God, they resisted. ONLY eight people were saved.

CASE #3 – SENSUALLY INDULGENT PEOPLE

The third group addressed here are the people in Sodom and Gomorrah. God delivered Abraham’s nephew and family out of that destruction. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked. Sodom and Gomorrah was a very rich indulgent place. When Abraham and Lot separated, Lot picked Sodom because it was a lush landscape. It had the best land. The problem was that the people were living in a luxurious land and they indulged themselves in all kinds of socially sexual sin. This is why Sodom and Gomorrah were considered wicked.

The people of Sodom even tried to have sex with angels (which is a reversal of what happened in Noah’s day. In Noah’s day, the angels rebelled to have sex with people. In Lot’s day, the people rebelled to have sex with the angels who came to warn Lot. Again, God saved a remnant, a few people. However, the rest of them were judged because of their rebellious spirit.

So notice the pattern. The spiritual rebels are with the spiritually faithful children of God. In the end, there will be a judgment for the spiritually rebellious and the spiritually faithful will be delivered out of that judgment. This reinforces the idea that there will be time before judgment when God will call His people home. Many have referred to this as “the rapture.” For some of us, that may happen. There will be a time when God will call his spiritually faithful home. He will set aside the spiritual rebels for judgment.

Here we see that Jude gives three warnings using the example of the Israelites, the fallen angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah. To understand the first two warnings, we should appreciate that these men that Jude was speaking of were not enemies of Christianity or the Church; but believed themselves to be the advanced thinkers of the generation – a spiritual elite that was above everyone else. – Men who had no use for words such as submission, accountability, and responsibility.

The sin of Israel was rebellious unbelief (Hebrew 3:12). The sin of the angels was the rebellion against the throne of God. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was indulging in unnatural lust. Unbelief, rebellion against authority, and sensual indulgence were sins characteristic of the false teachers.

Jude says that he wants to “remind” them of truths which they already know. Why would he do that? Because like them, we can get discouraged at the work that God has called us to as a church. We may begin to think that we are not getting it right or doing enough.

“Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise defile their flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme glorious ones. Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people blaspheme anything they don’t understand. What they know by instinct like unreasoning animals—they destroy themselves with these things.” (Jude 8–10, HCSB)

So Jude reminds again about the characteristics of these spiritual rebels. Comparing them to the Old Testament rebels, he shows how these spiritual rebels will react to the authority of the church.

HOW SPIRITUAL REBELS REACT TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH

7. Reject authority

“these dreamers…reject authority…” (Jude 8)

Just like the Israelites in Egypt, these spiritual rebels rejected authority. Often trouble arises in the church when people know the truth, but will not submit to that truth. Many problems stem from man’s desire to do as he pleases rather than live and worship according to God’s will and Word.

8. Renounce God’s model for society

“these dreamers…defile their flesh…” (Jude 8)

Just like the people during the time of Lot, these spiritual rebels reject God’s model for society and they defile their flesh in sexual immorality.

9. Revile God and His system

“these dreamers…blaspheme glorious ones…” (Jude 8)

“these people blapheme anything they don’t understand…” (Jude 10)

Just like Satan during his fall and the people during the time of Noah, these spiritual rebels refuse to acknowledge God and by the way they blaspheme glorious ones.

Jude wraps up this trilogy set of examples of spiritual rebellion by referring to the story of the death of Moses. This event is recorded in the Assumption of Moses. It is not in the Bible. It is another book that refers to the legend of what God did with Moses body. The Bible says that God buried Moses. However, we don’t know where God buried the body. This passage reveals that there was an argument in Heaven. Satan wanted Moses’ body. Michael was protecting it.

Jude compares their arrogance with the behavior of Satan. Jude contrasts their arrogance with the behavior of the archangel Michael, who, when challenging Satan himself would not speak arrogantly but used scripture. This also tells us something about how to respond to spiritual rebels. We have to depend on God’s word for our source of truth. We also have to be polite but diligent in the way handle their attacks.

How many do we know in our day that have known and even embraced truth and yet turned away from it? It takes grace and truth (most of the time we want to give the truth, but little grace). It takes both of these qualities to let the Holy Spirit do His work to bring these spiritual rebels into unity with the Body of Christ.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash