I hope that this walk through the book of Jude has helped in understanding the subtlety of false teachers, the deceptions in their motivation and actions along with their emptiness in helping you to grow spiritually. Many people look at their life and think that they have attained some type of spirituality because of a sense of growing in morality. This indeed should be what happens to a true convert but this alone is not proof that there has been a true change in status as a follower of Christ. A true follower of Christ will be evident by the fruit of their life in every area of life. It isn’t that we will not sin or struggle in some areas more than others but there must be a change that shows up in more ways than just some morality by keeping rules or laws.
The truth is that many of these false teachers will claim to be true Christians but their actions, their motivation and their direction of life shows something different. They preach an unbiblical Gospel, they seek for selfish and fleshly gain and as we will see in this study, they speak words that show their true nature. They are not for building the church but for flattering the people that they are influencing. The topic of the wickedness of the speech of false teacher will be what we see in this next to last study in this great letter. This brings us to look now at our first point.
1.The HARSH speech of false teachers.
Look with me at Jude vs.14-15 that says But Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied about these men, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Just like we saw a couple of studies back concerning Moses’ body, we have here something else that we can not find anywhere in the Scripture. We see that Jude says that Enoch prophesied about these men, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
This is not recorded anywhere in the Bible other than here. That means that God gave Jude this insight for this purpose of relating the actions of the false teachers being associated with the ungodly and wickedness that was in his time as well. The message of the prophecy from Enoch is clearly about God’s judgement on the ungodly. Of course just several generations after Enoch is taken by God, the flood happened which drowned all living creatures on the Earth. That judgement was on the ungodly and Jude speaks of a judgement that will happen again as well.
This judgement is on those that are ungodly, those that have not accepted the sacrifice of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus and have never began to follow Jesus as Lord. Jude says that Enoch’s prophecy was that God would execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
He of course is aligning these false teachers into this category as well. They will not be spared because they are not of God. They hate God, they speak evil of God and they deny His very existence. They live in ungodly passions and desires, their deeds are ungodly and the things they say are harsh. This word for harsh in the Greek indicates that they are stubborn in their ways. They stay fixed on their ways and look to discredit God by speaking evil of Him.
In reality this harsh and stubborn way of speaking against God is just one way they do this. False teachers not only will speak against God, His servants and His Word but they will also seek to point out mistakes of others in the most condemning way. This brings us to look at our next point.
2.The HYPERCRITICAL speech of false teachers.
Look with me at Jude vs16a that says These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts.
Notice that this is not the word hypocritical even though false teachers will be hypocrites but rather hypercritical. This means they are extremely critical. They seek to expose someone’s error to the point of making it out to be more than it really is. We see the word grumblers here that simply means one that is discontented. These grumblers are discontent and they verbally complain. Jude says they are those that are finding fault. The Greek word for this phrase is mempsimoiros (mem-psim’-oy-ros) which means a complaint over the allotted portion.
In other words these false teachers make excuses for their own actions. They blame others, they complain because of others. They are not content with their position in the church, they are not content with how things are done but they complain because they are not being used in the way they believe they should be. In all of this Jude says they are following after their own lusts.
If you come upon someone that is complaining over things that are of little value or importance it is because of one thing and that is their own selfish agenda. This is at the heart of every sin, this is at the heart of every complaint. If we are discontent it is because we do not trust God to provide whatever it is in the situation that we are in.
These false teachers are not happy with their lot in life so they look to elevate themselves by bringing down others. They complain about others, they put others down and they seek only their own agenda that has its foundations in their own lustful desires. They look to blame others for their faults, they complain because they are not getting their way. Their own lust drives them to do what they do and what they do is sin. James 1:13-16 says Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
So we see clearly that these false teachers are harsh in their words, they are hypercritical in their speech about others and now we look at another way they speak in an evil way in our next point.
3.The HAUGHTY speech of false teachers.
Look with me at Jude vs16 with the focus on the last part of the verse that says These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit.
We see here the same concept that we have seen several times with these false teachers. *False teachers are not focused on seeing others grow spiritually, they are only focused on themselves. So not only do they speak harsh and with hypercriticism but they also elevate themselves as better than the people they are putting down. In fact they look at themselves as so good and so intelligent that God gives to them special revelations. They have one goal and we see that Jude says that they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit.
Paul warns of this very thing as well in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 where he says For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Not only was this a warning for them but for us as well.* Many of the mainstream charismatic and word of faith preachers claim to hear directly from God by dreams, visions, an internal voice, trips to Heaven and many other claims. The problem is that they aren’t even living by the standards that are in the Bible so why would God even be talking with them about anything. We know that God spoke this way in the past but that was for a time a purpose. The writer of Hebrews expresses this well by showing to us how God speaks to us now in Hebrews 1:1-3 that says God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, 3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
God speaks through God the Son, who gave to us the Holy Spirit that will bring to remembrance all that Jesus said and give to us the things we need to know for the future. That show to us the inspiration of God’s Word that has given to us all we need to know in how to live as a Christian and how to glorify God through fulfilling the great Commission. But so many false teacher are looking for a new word from God, a fresh word or a different understanding of the Word that almost always contradict the Holy Bible.
The focus of these supposed revelations is pointed towards fulfilling their own desires of popularity, wealth and being the center of attention. We need to steer clear of these false teachers because we too will easily fall into their traps. But there is one more that we need to look at concerning the false teachers speech as we look at our last point for this study.
4.The HARRASING speech of false teachers.
Look with me at Jude vs.17-19 that says But you, beloved, must remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, not having the Spirit.
The key word we are focusing on here is the word mockers because once again we see that these mockers are following after their own ungodly lusts. This is the Greek word empaiktés (emp-aheek-tace’) that shows us that these false teachers not only speak against God and His people, not only are they critical of the very things true Christians do and teach, not only do they lift themselves above others but they speak down about true Christianity in the sense of people that follow that way is ignorant and stupid. I want to remind you also that they do this not openly and in your face but secretly and deceptive.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 says If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words—those of our Lord Jesus Christ—and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited, understanding nothing but having a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
This section in 1 Timothy gives to us a great summary of what we see here in Jude. These false teachers are preaching and teaching a different doctrine other that the true Gospel, they are self seeking, misguiding others and live in ungodly sinful passions. They may seem good on the outside but inwardly they are evil and malicious. Jesus speaks of false teachers and warns us by saying in Matthew 7:15 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
We need to really look at the motivation of these false teachers and make sure that anyone we are following is in fact teaching sound doctrine. This is not a call to nitpick every difference we may have with someone in ministry but it is a call to protect the truth of the Gospel. Jude says to us at the beginning of this section to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we need to do and not look for some new word.
Those that preach a different Gospel are those Jude says that causing divisions, worldly-minded, not having the Spirit.
They do not want unity even if they say they do. They do not want you to grow spiritually, they keep you focused on the world’s way of doing things. Jude associates these once again as those that do not have the Spirit, simply because they are not true Christians. Please take this as a warning and look at those you listen to, that may be your pastor, your small group leader, spouse or friend. If we find them to teach anything other than the true Gospel then we must lovingly go to them to share with them their wrong. If they will not listen then this is a good indication that they are in this category of being a false convert and false teacher. Seek to reach them with the true Gospel message.
Disciple's Direction 