Defending the Faith

1. Truth and Opposition - A Mandate to Proclaim the Truth

 

Jude

vs.3 - Contend . . . entrusted

vs.4 - opposition

vs.5 - OT examples of dividing people

            a. Egypt - all were delivered but then some were destroyed

            b. Angels - some remained in their proper positions but some abandoned their assigned positions.

            c. Sodom - some gave themselves over to perversion and were destroyed

vs.8 - This is the same thing that has happened to the opposition. They have divided themselves from the truth by:

            a. they pollute their bodies

            b. reject authority

            c. slander what they have no right to

vs.10 - They are ignorant of:

            a. God's special revelation (example: the written word)

            b. God's natural or general revelation that has been revealed to all men(example: Romans 1:18-30)

vs.11 - Three areas of evil or opposition against Truth:

            a. Cain style - persecute and oppress Truth

            b. Balaam - profit is to be made by destroying or distorting Truth

            c. Korah - rebel against God's established Truth or Order

vs.12 - Characteristics of Opposition:

            a. Shepherds who do not serve but only feed themselves

            b. Clouds with no rain. They look like the truth, sound like the truth but they do not bring anything productive. (Wind, thunder heads, lightning, but no rain which means no growth or production.)

            c. Autumn trees - twice dead means, 1) they have no fruit in harvest  season, 2) they are uprooted from the truth so they are not connected to anything

            d. Waves - roar in and remove the pollution from the sea, leaving the waste on the shore. These people can only leave you with corrupt teaching that pollutes your soul.

            e. Wandering stars - the North star is stable and can be used for directionand guidance. But planets do not follow the same system of rotation as the stars and so planets seemed to be wandering since they had a separate orbit. A planet, or a wandering star, could not be used for location or direction.

vs.14 - Opposition and false teachers were not new. Enoch, the 7th man from  Adam, spoke of these men and the problem they would create. We still deal with it today.

vs.16 - A character trait is that they false teachers find fault with the teachers of   the Truth and the Truth itself.

vs.17 - They also divide the church

vs.23 - Three ways of dealing with people in opposition to the Truth:

            a. Mercy for doubters - these are people who are misled

            b. Snatch others from destruction - these are people who can't help themselves and our actions must be decisive and aggressive.

            c. Mercy mixed with fear - In mercy these people are confronted

 

John 18:37 - Jesus testified to the truth. Jesus said there were sides.

1 John 3:8 - Jesus was destroying the work of the Devil.

Romans 1:18 - Men suppress the Truth

 

There is a spiritual battle:

            a. Spirit of Truth verse Spirit of a Lie

            b. Reality verse an Illusion


John 8:44 - Not everyone is a child of God. Indeed, God created all mankind but not all men follow God. Jesus says there are two fathers: God and Satan

 

Sanctification occurs with the Truth: 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 17:17

 

Definition of Truth is Conformity to fact or reality

 

Idol = a false philosophy, lies with incorrect thoughts

 

To come against a lie is called a hate crime, but we are motivated by Truth and are acting in mercy. Ephe. 5:11 - "rather expose them" (5:8-14)

 

What we believe to be true determines what we do.

Our actions are the best indictor of our truth or our faith.

 

Isaiah 59:14-15 -Truth has stumbled in the streets

Jeremiah 7:28 - Truth has perished

2 Timothy 4:3-4 - Turn away from truth

Acts 20:30 - Distort the truth