Bible ReadingJude 1:3-19 “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’ These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.”
[22:46]Zechariah 3:1-2 “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?’”
[42:00]Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
[44:57]1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
[44:57]Observation questions- In Jude 1:3-4, what are believers told to contend for, and what have certain people done inside the church that makes that necessary? [24:39]
- In Jude 1:5-8, what three earlier examples of judgment are listed, and what four sins are then named in verse 8? [29:45]
- In Jude 1:11-13, what pictures does Jude use to describe these false teachers, and what do those images seem to have in common? [58:39]
- According to Jude 1:16-19, what attitudes and behaviors make these people easier to recognize? [01:06:35]
Interpretation questions- Jude says the faith was “once for all delivered to the saints.” Why does that matter when people claim to have something new, deeper, or more spiritual to add to the gospel? [37:46]
- Jude connects false teaching with moral corruption, greed, and rebellion. What does that suggest about the relationship between a person’s doctrine and a person’s life? [55:01]
- Michael says, “The Lord rebuke you,” and Zechariah shows the same pattern. What does that reveal about proper humility and proper authority when dealing with Satan? [43:55]
- Jude gives strong warnings about judgment, but those warnings are meant to strengthen believers rather than frighten them. How does the certainty of God’s judgment help Christians contend for the faith without panic? [01:04:59]
Application questions- The faith once delivered is not something to edit or modernize. Where is there pressure in everyday life to soften, revise, or keep quiet about parts of the gospel so that it feels more acceptable? [25:07]
- Dreams, impressions, and spiritual-sounding words must be tested by Scripture. When has something felt persuasive or emotional but needed to be measured carefully by God’s Word? How can that testing become a normal habit? [37:46]
- Satan is defeated, but he is still active. When does spiritual attack usually show up most clearly in life right now: temptation, accusation, fear, distraction, bitterness, or something else? What does resistance need to look like in that area this week? [46:15]
- Scripture calls believers to give the devil no place and to keep short accounts with God. Is there any unconfessed sin, lingering compromise, or repeated pattern that keeps opening the door? What would honest repentance look like? [51:20]
- Thought life matters. What kind of “garbage in” tends to shape the heart most easily—media, social feeds, anger, envy, fantasy, constant bad news, or something else? What would it look like to replace that with what is true and pure? [52:43]
- Balaam’s error shows how greed can hide under religious language. How can a believer tell when money, comfort, influence, or recognition is quietly shaping spiritual decisions? [56:08]
- Jude says false teachers can look impressive and still be fruitless. What kind of fruit should be looked for in a person before trusting their spiritual influence deeply? [01:00:49]
