Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:11

False doctrine is poisonous to the Church of Jesus Christ; it is the devil’s preferred way of infiltrating the Church and destroying it from within.

The Book of Jude reveals the marks of apostasy. Apostates are like snakes in the garden, hiding in the grass, preparing to strike.

An apostate is someone who has received the truth and rejected it—and has begun ridiculing it.

Jude 11 says, “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”

This verse mentions three men who illustrate the marks of an apostate: Cain, Balaam, and Korah.

The first snake in the garden is Cain, who represents those who pervert the Gospel.

In Genesis 4, Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy. Abel, who understood the things of God, had offered to the Lord a blood sacrifice, which pleased Him. Cain, who did not understand the things of God, brought the fruit of the ground, which represented his own efforts.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are only two religions: the true and the false—one is the way of Cain, and the other is the way of the cross.”

The second snake in the garden is Balaam, who represents those who prostitute the Gospel.

In Numbers 22-25, the very clever and gifted prophet Balaam, exploited the message of God for his personal advantage. This story is not arguing against paying those in ministry positions. Rather, it condemns those who will do anything for personal gain, including prostituting the Gospel.

The final snake in the garden is Korah, representing those who protested the Gospel.

In Numbers 1, Korah protested Moses and Aaron, God’s appointed prophet and priest. Korah did not respect their authority, so he rallied others to defy the prophetic message and priestly mediator God had established.

Apostates seek to replace the truth with false religion, but like Korah, they stand on shaky ground; God is not pleased and will not be replaced.

This is why we must know the truth of Scripture and live accordingly, lest we find ourselves struck by the snakes in the garden—or worse, become one.

Apply it to your life

We must know the marks of an apostate to recognize the snakes in the garden. Learn the truth and abide by it, living accordingly.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:8

The Book of Jude warns us of the dangers of apostasy, which is when someone falls away from the faith. An apostate is someone who has been given the opportunity to receive the truth but has rejected it. Apostates cause great harm to the Church.

In verse 8, Jude describes apostates as “filthy dreamers,” people with imaginations that are not rooted in truth. But the church is called to contend for our faith and truth, and make sure apostates’ dreams never come true.

First, we must recognize that these dreamers defile the flesh.

Because they ridicule the truth, apostates are more prone to sexual immorality than unbelievers.

As people get away from the Word of God, they give way to their imaginations and dreams—as night follows day, they give way to their sensual sins. We see this so often with young people who have been raised in church but have never been saved. Once they enter adulthood and experience a new environment without the Holy Spirit’s restraint, they fall into ungodly lifestyles.

Apostates are also marked by how they despise the Father.

With rebellious hearts, they reject authority and despise dominion within the church. They don’t want to believe that the Word of God is truth.

The final mark of apostates is that they disgrace the faithful, or, “speak evil of dignitaries” (Jude 8).

Having rejected the truth, apostates will speak blasphemously against Almighty God and His Word.

Adrian Rogers says, “There is nothing too glorious, nothing too holy that they will not defame.”

Our world is full of these filthy dreamers, and unfortunately, apostates don’t ridicule from outside the Church—they do it from within.

With a broken heart, Jude urges us to contend for the faith, to understand it, and know how to defend it, so that we may stop these filthy dreamers in their tracks and fill our churches with people who fear God.

Apply it to your life

Are you part of a church that believes that the Bible is the Word of God? Are you equipped and encouraged to contend for your faith—to understand it and know how to defend it? Recognize these marks of an apostate so that you may stand as others fall away.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:1-7

The Book of Jude warns us of something very sinister that will happen to the Church in the Last Days. Children of God cannot afford to be ignorant or neutral; Jude 1-19 sounds the alarm, calling us to the fight for the faith and do battle for the Bible.

These verses first reveal the danger of apostasy.

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed… ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4).

Apostasy, or turning back on the faith, is a very deceptive and destructive heresy. Jude warns of apostates, who have crept into the Church and deteriorated the integrity of God’s Word.

This passage also gives a description of the apostates.

Jude 17-19 claims that because they lack reverence for God, apostates freely mock holy things. They act without restraint, claiming the grace of God as a license to sin. And because they deny God as Lord of their lives, they exercise no rule or regulation.

Adrian Rogers says, “The basic ingredient missing in the life of an apostate is a fear of God.”

Third, this passage reveals the destruction of apostates.

Verse 5 reminds us of the children of Israel, who were delivered from Egypt, yet perished at the hand of God in the wilderness. Despite their experiences, they were never truly devoted to God.

There are people today who think they are saved, but they are not true believers. They have come to the borderline of truth but have never entered into that truth. Jude 6 says they will face destruction despite their profession, position, or possessions.

Finally, Jude reveals our defense against apostates.

If we want to contend for our faith, we must submit to the truth of the Gospel. We need to study what the Bible says. We must be familiar with its inerrancy, understand the deity of Christ, and know our salvation comes by grace through faith.

Our defense against apostasy is to live out our faith with boldness, together, in churches rooted in biblical doctrine. We must share our faith with others, giving it away freely.

Apply it to your life

We have been called to contend for our faith and fight for the integrity of Scripture. Study the Word of God and be ready to give an account for why you believe what you believe. Share your faith with others today.