Protect Your Faith

Jude 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
 
JUDE’S obvious concern is to protect a church from certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago. He is referring to disobedient men from Israel’s history, and he names some in verses 11-16:
    Jude 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain (Genesis 4); they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s (Numbers 22) error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16). 12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted –  twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.   
    One of many reasons we read the Old Testament is to understand rebellion’s horrible consequences. Rebels such as Cain, Balaam, Korah and the unbelievers in Jude’s letter were restless wanderers (Genesis 4:12). Discontent led to their eternal death.
    Your safeguard for your faith to stand against pride is to embrace God’s Word. Receive his grace. Believe his commands. Secure him in your heart. Celebrate God’s grace with loving obedience to your Savior.
 
Life Thought: Receive God’s Word. Dwell in God’s grace.
     
Note: In verses 14-15, Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, a common source of wisdom for that day. Enoch is described in Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Many Jews understood Enoch to be a prophet God had sent before the Great Flood to call the world to repent.