Lesson 3
Hypocrite Preachers Unmasked!
Jude 8-16
ILLUSTRATION: Two weeks ago, the ABC News Magazine, "Prime Time Live" devoted its entire one hour program to the investigation of 3 popular tele-evangelists, W.V. Grant, Larry Lea, and Robert Tilton. Their investigation uncovered some interesting facts. For example:
W.V. Grant often gives the impression that he has been supernaturally revealed the name and the physical ailment of someone in the service, when, in fact, he has learned those things through personal conversations before the meeting. Many of the "healings" are staged, even faked. Furthermore, he has received thousands of dollars for orphanages in Haiti and has not given all of that money to those orphanages.
Concerning Larry Lea, the program revealed that he had led his viewing audience to believe that a fire which destroyed his house, had burned up all of his worldly possessions. In fact, that house was vacant, for sale of 2 years, while he and his family lived in another mansion. He had claimed to have begun the construction of a church in Poland which, in fact, had already been under construction for 2 years. He had contributed $30,000 to this building but had received hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause. Finally, he had led a notorious California Satan worshiper to the Lord and the man had married his live in girl friend. The truth was that the man was not the high-level Satanist that he had been labeled, that he was receiving a salary from Larry Lea of at least $1000 per month, and that he had not married the live-in at all. In fact, he was married to another woman. The "wedding" had been faked in order to be put on video and shown to Larry Lea followers.
Concerning Robert Tilton, the program revealed his annual income of $80 million dollars per year, his houses, etc. Tilton has an elaborate scheme which involved mailing prayer hankies, or tracings of your hands, an such stuff which Tilton says he will pray over. Those things arrive along with contributions at the bank and are directly deposited in his account and the hankies, etc. are thrown in the dumpster behind the bank.
These illustrate that there are religious phonies and false teachers in the ranks of Christianity, today. Television seems to be an ideal medium for the false teachers. But false teachers are not a new phenomenon. They are as old as the Bible. And they are not restricted to media ministries. It is possible for them to creep into sound churches unawares and over time gather a following of deceived people. It is sad that those who claim Christ can be so easily deceived and duped. It is frightening that they can be so gullible and undiscerning. We ought to be able to recognize false teachers. Our text for today, perhaps will help us to do just that.
Today we are going to be studying Jude 8-16. These is a long and difficult text. In these verses, Jude is writing about apostate preachers and teachers. They are not only deceived themselves but they are deceiving others. Their apostacy is compounded. They are "twice dead" (v.12).
Jude's task is to unmask these false teachers. There is a sense in which he does what Prime Time did. That is, Jude describes, not what they say they are, not what they appear to be, but what they really are. Jude strips away all the layers of hypocrisy and lays bare the true character of apostate teachers.
How can we recognize a false teacher? This text speaks of the characteristics and the condemnation of false teachers.
I. The Characteristics Of An Apostate Preacher
1. They are out of touch with truth - "filthy dreamers"
There is more than one Greek word for "dream". The word used here means "a confused state of the soul" an "abnormal imagination". The idea is that of a perverted mind blind to reality and truth. In other words, these men are deceived. They honestly believe that what they propagate is truth when it is, in fact, error. One thing that makes a deceiver more convincing is his own sincerity. If he really believes what he says...if the deceiver is himself deceived, he is more dangerous. These people really believe their own message, but they are in a dream-world.
2. They are immoral- "defile the flesh".
Ultimately, false doctrine always leads to moral breakdown. Why? Because unless we have the Spirit of God abiding within us, we will not be able to subdue the flesh. There is a relationship between what we believe and how we behave. It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "Tell me what a man believes and I will tell you what he will do." We should not be shocked to learn of the lies and the frauds and the adulteries of false teachers. That is one of their characteristics.
3. They reject authority - "despise dominion".
It is typical for a false teacher to refuse to submit to any authority. They become their own authority. They will not make themselves accountable or answerable to anyone. They reject governmental authority, church authority, pastoral authority, even the authority of God's Word. Listen, we all need accountability. When any religious leader rejects authority, he is revealing evidence of a false teacher.
4. They speak presumptuously - "speak evil of dignities" v.9.
This phrase is difficult to interpret. Verse 9 gives us some clue. Apparently, after Moses died Michael the archangel and Satan argued over the body. I suppose Satan would like to have it, in order to somehow enshrine it and make it an object of worship. Yet, in this struggle, Michael was very careful of how he spoke to Satan. He dared not presumed to pronounce judgment on Satan but left that to the Lord. The point is, if an archangel is careful of what he says to the devil, how much more should we be toward dignities (glorious beings)? Yet false teachers speak presumptuously. Many of these false teachers claim to be able to remove demons, to rebuke Satan with their own words. They claim that Satan must leave just because we tell him to That is presumption! A powerful archangel wouldn't even to that!
Be on guard of the religious leader, the preacher who is highly critical yet not very well informed
6. They are guided by feelings and not intellect,10b
An animal lives on the basis of instinct, not by intellect. In like manner, a false teacher is guided by his feelings, his emotions, rather than by his intellect. Be careful of those ministers who lead by how they feel, who play on emotions. Truth is discern by the mind not by feelings.
7. They are self-righteous - "they have gone the way of Cain".
What is the way of Cain? It is the way of self-righteousness, believing that you can come to God on your own terms, not his. It is religion of works not of shed blood. It is the false religion offered by apostate preachers.
8. They use religion as a way of getting money - "ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward".
Balaam accepted an offer to pronounce a curse upon Israel for pay. That is error of a false teacher. He is in it for greedy profit. He has a religious racket but the bottom line is money.
9. They openly rebel against the word - "perished in the gainsaying of Core".
The word "gainsaying" means "against the word". The idea is rebellion. Korah committed open rebellion agaisnt Moses and the earth open upon and swallowed him. Jude is saying that those who like Korah, rebel against God will suffer the same fate as Korah. False teachers are really religious rebels.
10. They defile everything they touch, v.12a.
A feast of charity, or love feast was what we would call, a fellowship meal. Since the days of the New Testament, the church has been eating together. Jude says that these false teachers are their, they attend, they participate without the slightest qualm, they look out only for themselves and they are stains, spots, on the otherwise beautiful meal. In other words, everything they participate in they defile. If they get involved in an orphanage they muck it up.
11. They promise but they don't produce, "clouds without water".
They make big claims, they promise big things but their promises are empty. They claim to heal but most go home the same way they came. They claim to help but more are taken than are ever helped. They promise fruit but they are withered, without fruit, doubly dead and plucked up.
12. They are dangerous, unstable, shameful and doomed v.13.
Like wild ocean waves they are dangerous and unstable, foaming up only shame. Like falling stars they are ultimately doomed for outer darkness forever.
13. They are never satisfied - v.16 murmurers / complainers.
14. They are always in pursuit of evil desires, 16.
15. They are arrogant, v.16 - "mouth speak great swelling words"
They boast about themselves. They are the heroes of their stories and illustrations. They name things (ministries; schools, etc.) after themselves.
16. They use flattery for personal advantage, v.16. - "having men's persons in admiration because of advantage"
Their words are full of subtle deceit. The bottom line on these people is that they are ungodly. Verse 15 ...Ungodly men doing ungodly ministries, using ungodly methods and having ungodly mouths.
II. The Condemnation Of Apostate Preachers
God's word pronounces judgment upon them, v.11. "Woe unto them".
Christ's return promises judgment of them. Jude quotes a prophecy of Enoch which promises that when the Lord comes he will execute judgment on the ungodly. Jude tells us that Enoch had false teachers in mind when he spoke those words.
Beloved, don't be deceived by false teachers and preachers. Don't be gullible and easily duped and led astray. Jude had the discernment to be able unmask the true character of a false teacher. Can you see through hypocrisy? Can you discern truth from error? May God give us wisdom to take these marks of a false teacher and use them to make righteous discernments.