A flare over a dark sea.

False teachers have slipped in turning grace into license.

Jude sounds the alarm, contend for the faith without becoming contentious.

This is Seek Go Create.

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We're walking through the New Testament, the way it was written,

so you can hear it the way the.

First churches did in context.

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for, uh, the things we're talking about.

Alright, today we're going to Jude, one of the shortest letters in the New Testament.

We'll see if I could keep this episode shorter than the actual book itself.

It's rich, it's got a lot of stuff in it because it is one of the most urgent

letters short, but it packs a punch.

And, let's look at some key facts here.

Jude is the brother of James, and we have read James, of course earlier.

Our first book we read, and of course the half brother of Jesus.

The date we're looking at here is the sixties.

We're deep into it is right around a 64 to 65 is the date that we place on Jude.

The audience are believers that are facing.

Infiltration by false teachers.

We're about 34 years past the resurrection.

False teachers are twisting grace into license.

Yeah, that was going on in the sixties.

It's going on today too.

We're trying to stay in context though.

Let's try to stay with the audience of the sixties and not pull it forward to us.

Here's some historical context.

Literally, Rome is burning.

Nero is blaming Christians.

There's a lot to this.

We'll go over some background on Niro at another time, but believers

have been sewn into animal skins torn apart by dogs lit on fire to

illuminate the Emperor's gardens.

Paul is in chains right now awaiting execution.

Peter is still alive, but the net is closing.

Within a year or so, he will actually be crucified, upside down and martyred.

So, things are pretty darn tense.

I don't think it's funny to say this, but Christians in our time

will often talk about persecution.

I don't believe we know anything compared to what was going on during this time.

While this letter was being written in Jerusalem, the temple is still intact.

We know now that it was about six years before it was destroyed and

Jerusalem was, torn to the ground.

The powder keg is about to ignite in and around Jerusalem.

The church.

False teachers have crept in unnoticed, claiming to be believers.

Speaking of grace, sounding real good of course, but twisting it into

permission to indulge the flesh.

James, the Lord's brother.

Was executed two years ago of the founding generation only John remains.

Peter is still around, but we're getting close to Peter as we said earlier.

So, John is a primary that we see.

Now, here's the tension that's going on, Jude.

He says this in the actual letter, was planning to write about

their common salvation, but the danger of these false teachers.

Changed his plan.

Why now the alarm must be sounded contend for the faith that was once

for all delivered to the saints.

And what is that?

Faith?

The apostolic testimony centered on resurrection.

We have seen this throughout.

All the letters.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the glue.

It's the foundation.

It's what separated this movement from all the others, and that resurrection

was the foundation here, the risen Lord who has authority over all false

teachers are twisting it, denying.

Our only master in Lord Jesus Christ.

That's in verse four, but Jude closes with resurrection confidence now to him

who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the

presence of his glory with great joy.

Verse 24.

The risen Lord will bring them safely home.

Here's a reality check.

just something that was going on there in 80, 64.

I said, we were mention, we would mention this, Rome actually burns for six days.

Nero in all likelihood started the fires so that he could, redo parts of

Rome without getting Senate approval.

And he blames the Christians for this fire.

Believers become human torches.

In the Emperor's Garden.

This was the origination of the term Roman candle.

Yes.

That was Christians being burned at the stake in the gardens of Nero.

The age of tolerance is over.

It's about to get ugly, and it's getting ugly right now.

So that's.

All that's going on in this time.

Here's what we're gonna encounter in Jude.

It's urgent and pastoral strong warnings with mercy.

For the wavering.

You'll hear about certain people that have crept in ungodly, people

who pervert grace into sensuality.

We will hear about contending for the faith without becoming contentious people.

That's sometimes a challenge to do.

Old Testament warnings, a lot of Old Testament symbolism here.

Israel in the wilderness, fallen angels, Sodom and Gomorrah.

The imagery is vivid.

Waterless clouds, fruitless trees twice dead.

Wild waves, wandering stars.

Keep yourselves in the love of God.

Build up.

Pray, wait for Mercy.

Mercy for the wavering.

Snatch some from the fire.

Show Mercy with fear.

Jude isn't being polite.

He's being pastoral.

Here's the urgency, the threat.

Is inside the house.

Jude's alarm isn't about distant future.

It's about now in verse 18.

In the last time there will be scoffers.

He is speaking of that last time.

In the present during their time in the mid sixties of the first

century, and he said they've arrived.

He changed his letter plans because this danger couldn't wait, and he

mentions, I love this enoch's prophecy.

I've read the book of Enoch.

Some people have.

Some people have it.

He says, the Lord is coming with thousands of holy ones.

To execute judgment that is near future for these folks, and we know

it happens within just a few years.

That's verse 14 and 15.

Jude doesn't say the end is at hand.

He says the threat is already inside the scoffers.

The apostles warned about they're here contend for the faith and

rescue the wavering before.

Cool thing about Jude, like I've been saying in other things,

you will be able to read Jude.

It's nice and short in one sitting and maybe even read it a couple

of times if you can try to read it out loud as we've been saying.

nice short letter, but packs a punch if you understand what was going on

with the audience with him and also with the audience that he wrote it to.

Next we're gonna get back to Paul.

We're gonna look at one Timothy guarding the gospel and forming healthy churches.

Paul's handbook for a young pastor, that is Timothy.

All right, remember to follow along at K two M Foundation slash NT 90.

A lot of cool info there and links to all of these if you need to go back to some of

the other episodes, some of the other, um.

Books.

You can actually do that easily there.

It's kinda like a, hub for all things.

So, alright, before we read Jude, let's set the scene.

It's 80, 64, Rome is burning, James is dead, and now this.

A letter from Jude, the brother of James, the half brother of Jesus.

He had planned to write something else, a reflection on the salvation you share.

But that letter will have to wait because the threat isn't out there anymore.

It's in the room.

You've seen them at the table.

They speak of grace.

They quote the apostles, but something is off.

They've twisted freedom into permission, and some of your

people are following them.

Jude's original letter can wait.

This danger can't.

Now let's read.