Jude 5-16 Summary - WW

Summary Statement:

Forget your calling and face the Fire.

Paragraph:

Israel’s history is replete with examples of those who profess faith but later forgot their high calling. Their fate serve as examples and stern warnings for us. Jude launches into a list of such examples:

v5 – Israel herself, called out of Egypt, through unbelief lost an entire generation in the wilderness
v6 – Angels – created to serve in heaven, abandoned heaven and are now destined for eternal damnation
v7 – Sodom and Gomorrah – created fertile and blessed with plenty, indulged materially and sexually, became the very symbol of everything in the world that opposes God and thus destroyed by fire
v11 – Cain – first born of Adam, despised God’s offering, unrepentant, murdered, later cursed by God to be forever unfruitful and unsettled.
v11 – Balaam – a pagan prophet, peddled his gift, was rebuked by a donkey and later killed for his deviousness.
v11 – Korah – Levite by descent and servant of the Tabernacle, contested Moses and was swallowed alive by the earth.

If history wasn’t example enough, right in their present day, there existed in their midst men who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk (v8 & v12).

“These men” (v8) – that sad, sad phrase which conjures up images of all that is wrong – these ungodly men who profess faith yet flouts grace. These men, who infiltrate the most intimate fellowship of faith (v12), revile the heavenly authorities (v8-9) and allow sensual desires and instincts to dominate (v10). These men, who are vocal yet hollow, impressive yet fleeting, supposed protectors yet self-serving, offering promise yet bearing no fruit, all show with no substance (v13).

These men who blatantly disregard their calling will share the same fate as those who forgot or abandoned their high calling. These men have been marked out from the beginning of time for eternal condemnation (v4 & 15).

Do you grumble and find fault? Do you seek primarily to satiate your own selfish and evil desires? Do you boast and flatter for personal glory? (v16)

Be warned:

Forget your calling and face the Fire.