Big Idea:

Believers in Christ need to remember the judgment of God on apostates, and be able to identify them through their ungodly behavior and lifestyle, and contend with them concerning the faith.

Jude 5-10

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. 6 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— 7 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. 8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 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.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Remembering is a key component of many of the New Testament books, but why do you think God wanted us to remember the judgment of the children of Israel? Read 2 Peter 2, 1 Cor. 12:1-10, Heb. 3:16- 19
  2. Think of a time when you went rogue? Meaning you went outside your position given to you by some authority (boss, teacher, parent, spouse), and did what you wanted, not what was assigned or commanded or given for you to do. Did you get caught? God, knowing everything, knows when you rebel against clear commandments given in the Word of God. Discuss why God hates rebellion against his Word.
  3. How do you identify a spiritual counterfeit? Especially if those who are apostates know and understand certain truths about the Bible.

Hint: Think back to the points of Ben’s sermon

  1. Where do we draw the line when it comes to witchcraft and demonology? Should we be engaging our mind with something that God has clearly called sin? Do we revere even the demons enough to know that they have more power than what we may think or know?
  2. Are you actively contending for the faith? How? What does it look like for you?

Prayer Focus:

Spend time this week praying through God’s grace, be thankful, that if you are a true believer in Christ you are no longer under judgment but under the grace of God. Pray God opens your eyes to the character and lifestyle of spiritual counterfeits.

Next Steps:

Read through Numbers 14, Genesis 6, and Genesis 19 ask yourself how often you actually think about the judgment of the ungodly. Make it appoint this week to thank God for mercy.