Jude Chapter 1
This letter written by Jude a brother of James and Jesus, is a stern warning that believers should not miss. As with other writings in the New Testament there is a warning about false teachers. In this case the false teachers have crept into the church and Jude wants to sound the alarm. This book is so important for us today because we are experiencing the same issues – false teachers have crept into the church. I truly believe that this is one of the signs that we are in the last days. Of course, it is not up to any of us to say when the Lord is coming back, but I truly think it will be very soon.
Let's Reflect
1. Jude makes it clear that he is writing to believers. In verse one he makes this clear by stating that believers are what three things?
2. In the wording of his appeal to the church he states that the believers are going to do more than just take notice of false teachers. He states they must do what? We are experiencing the same thing today – false teachers have crept into the church. What do you think the church (you and I) need to do practically?
3. Jude is warning us that these false teachers are not just men who have gotten their teachings mixed up, but they are literally dangerous. They purposefully pervert the truth and turn the grace of God into an excuse to live any way they want (lewdness) or sensuality (sexual sins). They will go so far as to deny whom? [Have you heard that there are preachers today in the church who are homosexual? Yes, it is true, and they are not hiding it.]
4. Jude uses several examples from the Old Testament of people and situations where God pronounced judgment on those who turned their back on Him. He even mentions a strange occurrence from the book of Genesis where angels sinned. Bible scholars believe that these angels had sexual relations with women. This sin along with many others led to God sending the great flood to destroy the earth. What judgment did God pronounce on these angels?
Genesis 6:1-2When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
5. Jude also talks about the judgment passed on Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities. These cities were filled with people engaging in sexual immorality and pursuing unnatural desires or homosexuality. Does it say anywhere in this passage that God allows people to follow after their heart and have unnatural sex?
6. These false teachers are getting their information from prophetic dreams (unholy dreams), they are rejecting authority, and they blaspheme whom?
7. In verse 9 we see the truth that the devil does exist, there is evil in the world and there are demonic forces at work to destroy the testimony of the church. The false teachers, who are controlled by the devil, are described in verse 10 as what?
8. It is not enough to just be warned, we must take action, and do what according to verses 20 and 21?
