Sermon Notes from "An Unplanned but Necessary Message: Contend for the Gospel Delivered to You." Sermon by Mitch Chase.

[Yesterday evening at Kosmosdale Baptist Church, Mitch Chase continued a series on the book of Jude. Below are my notes from his second sermon in this series.]

I. Introduction: How do men deny Christ?

A.  Through false doctrine;

B. Through an ungodly lifestyle.

II. Verse 3

A. Background
1. Jude's initial intention is re-directed due to circumstances;
2. Jude appears to have intended a letter of rejoicing and celebration concerning the gospel.

B. "The Faith"
1. This term refers to the gospel;
2. The gospel is the good news of God's grace through Jesus Christ.

C. "Appeal"
1. "Urging," "exhorting," "pleading;"
2. With urgency, Jude quickly gets into the subject-matter of the letter.

III. Verse 4

A. "Certain men"
1. Jude does not here include names nor numbers [though naming names is not necessarily wrong, as seen by Paul's practice in some of his epistles];
2. Jude does not include details of the false teachers' theological confession, but since they were apparently accepted within the church, they may have given lipservice to orthodoxy.

B. "Crept in unawares:" vigilance within the church may have been lacking.

C. "Condemnation"
1. There interlopers are part of a pattern-- seen in the OT-- of those who stray and bring judgment upon themselves;
2. By implication, we must not follow their way; the stakes could not be higher.

D. "Ungodly men:" this label draws upon the OT division of all people into two categories (see Psalm 1).

E. "License for immorality:" as exemplified in OT Israel's history.

F. "Deny our only Master and Lord"
1. Probably not overtly, as noted above, but with their lifestyle;
2. "Master" speaks to the servant-master relationship already mentioned in this letter; "Lord" speaks to Christ's deity.

IV. Conclusion

A. The Doctrine of Grace is always subject to distortion by sinners.

B. We must reckon with the devastating consequences of sin.

C. Romans 6:1-14.