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"Preach The Word"

A Reminder of God's Judgment

TEXT: Jude V 5-7

INTRODUCTION:

In verses 1-4, Jude clearly identifies who he is
and who he is writng to. He states that his original intention was to write about the "common salvation", but he felt compelled to write and
exhort them to "contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints."

Among those Jude was writing to in the
first century, a falling away, a state of apostasy had already set in. He is calling the believers to arms, to take a stand against the false teachers who were misleading the early church.

In verses 5-7, Jude reminds these early
Christians of several instances where God brought judgment upon those who turned away. Notice three Old Testament Examples.

I. ISRAEL. V-5
"I will put you in remembrance, though
you once knew this." He's not sharing a new idea, but reminding them of something they already knew.

A. God had delivered Israel. V-5

"The Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt.." After 400 years in Egypt, Israel began to cry out as a result of their bondage. God had heard, called Moses from the backside of the desert and
delivered them. (Exodus chap. 3-14). You would think they would serve God forever and never look back.

B. God had destroyed Israel. V-5
"...afterward, destroyed them that believed not."

(1) The 12 spies gave their report (Num. 13-14) The land had fertile soil, fruit, milk and honey. It also
had giants, walled cities and other nations who wanted it.

(2) The people accepted the 10 to 2 majority recommendation of the spies. They said, "We can't."

(3) Their refusal to go in and claim the land God had promised them resulted in a 40 year wilderness
experience where only Caleb and Joshua and those 20 years onld and under were permitted to go in. The rest died in the wilderness.

II. THE FALLEN ANGEL. V-6, II Pet. 2:4

Jude makes a statement similar to Peter
in II Peter 2:4 concerning the fallen angels. Let's read both verses.

A. They "sinned", or left their "first
estate."
Isaiah 14 teaches us that Satan rebelled and tried to exhalt himself
above God and was cast out of heaven. Many angels followed him.

B. They were cast down to hell - reserved
unto the day of judgment.

So it's clear that even the angels who rebelled cannot get by without facing judgment day. How much more
will man be accountable on the day of judgment if he turns away from the "faith that was once delivered to the saints."

III. SODOM AND GOMORRA V-7

He refers here to the scriptural account
found in Gen. chap. 19. Two things are said to describe their sin.

A. Fornication - used to refer to sexual
immorality.

(1) They were guilty of homosexuality
- the men of Sodom tried to seduce the men who went into Lot's house. Romans describes it as men with men and women with women, burned in their lust toward each other.

(2) some say "strange flesh" could
have even referred to beastiality. This is something being practiced today though it is certainly one of the most lewed forms of sexual immorality.

B. Example V-7

Jude said God "Set them forth for an
example." Peter said, in II Peter 2:6, "..set them forth as an example to those who afterward would live ungodly." This phrase "set them forth" is the same word that would be used to describe the laying out of a corpse. God destroyed Sodom publicly for the world to see and learn from.

CONCLUSION:

In verses 5-7 Jude is simply reminding the believers that only Judgment awaits a people who turn away from the faith
(APOSTASY).

Sermon #3 - Series on Jude--Cecil Lovelace

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