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UNDER THE INFLUENCE (2 OF 4)

by Tim Badal

Scripture: Jude 1:5-16
This content is part of a series.


Title: Under the Influence (2 of 4)
Series: Jude
Text: Jude 1:5-16
Author: Tim Badal

Last week we learned that Jude wanted to talk about the great salvation that we have in Jesus Christ, the salvation he had come to receive. At first he thought his brother was crazy. But then after he saw Jesus die, be buried and then rise from the grave alive and well, he placed his faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

This was what Jude had wanted to talk about, but circumstances kept him from doing that. He instead speaks to the subject of contending for the faith, fighting for the faith, putting all our energy and emphasis in life into that faith. The reason for his concern was that people had crept into the church unnoticed who were changing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were changing the worldview that saw Jesus Christ as Lord, into a worldview that told people we are god and master. They taught that because people are god and master, and because Jesus' words didn't matter, believers could live with all manner of sensuality and selfishness, pursuing all manner of possessions and pleasures unabashed and unhindered. As a result, Jude wants his readers to contend to the faith, addressing these creepers who come in unnoticed, pushing back against them and evaluating whether his readers had fallen under their influence.

We learned last week that these false teachers don't need pulpits. We learned about social influencers and how social media-and for that matter, media as a whole-has a way of influencing our lives. What we watch on TV, what we listen to on the radio, on our iPods, iPads and all the different devices we have, the magazines we read, the podcasts we listen to-all of these result in our being influenced by the world. Jude is telling us to be careful when encountering these voices of influence.

I want to say quickly, even before we get into our text, that not all voices in the world are bad. In fact, Jude will cite some in his text from sources that are ...

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