May 1925
215
THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
O u tline Studies in the Book of Jude T. C. Horton
OUTLINE OF THE BOOK (1 ) The Called and Sanctified are Saluted, vs. 1, 2. (2 ) The Called are Charged to Con tend for the Faith, v. 3. (8 ) The Called are C a u t i o n e d Against the Creeping Critics, v. 4. ( 4 ) The Certain Judgment of the Apostates, vs. 5-7. (5 ) The Corrupting Influence of the Filthy Dreamers, vs. 8-10. (6 ) The Commitment of the Cor rupters to Eternal Doom, vs. 12, 13. (7 ) The Coming of the Lord to Exe cute Judgment, vs. 14-16. (8 ) The Caution Against Mockers, vs. 17-19. (9 ) The Counsel to the Saints to Build Up in Faith, vs. 20, 21. (10) The Classification of Those De serving Rebuke, vs. 22, 23. (11) The Commitment of the Saints to an All-Wise God, vs. 24, 25. It will be noted that the outline of the entire book is given each month, so that students may have the synopsis of the development of the theme be fore them while meditating on the par ticular division under immediate con sideration. LESSON FIVE (5 ) The Corrupting Influence of the Filthy Dreamers, vs. 8-10. (1) They “defile the flesh” ; (2 ) They “despise dominion” ; (3 ) They “speak evil of dignities” ; or, in other words, “Reclaim against rulers.” ' They “defiled the flesh” as did the Sodomites, leading others into sin and error. They despised the Lordship of God, as did the fallen angels. Through pride, they refused the Lord, saying, “We will not have this man to rule over us.” They are dreamers, living in an un real world. Note the contrast with these in v. 9: « Y e t M i c h a e l the arc hangel, Jude here refers to an incident not recorded in the Old Testament—a strife between Michael the archangel and Satan, over the body of Moses. It is supposed that Moses, having died, the angels were prepared to take his body to heaven— as was the body of
Elijah— but that Satan claimed it, as having power over death (Heb. 2 :14 ): “ Forasm uc h th en a s th e ch il d ren a r e pa rtakers o f fl es h a n d b l o o d , h e a ls o h im s e l f l i k e w i s e took pa rt o f th e same ; that thro ug h d eat h he m igh t destroy h im that had t h e power o f de a th , t h a t i s , th e de vil.”
This is due to the insistence of man that God shall descend to man’s view. Cain’s religion is the religion of na ture. Natural religion >contains ele ments of good, but it does not qualify man for eaven. Natural religion is a religion of self-righteousness, involv ing goodness in man without faith in God, and “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11 :6 ). Cain wanted his own way, and God’s rebuke filled him with rage.' It was so with the Pharisees whom Jesus re buked. This is the sin which wrecks lives everywhere. The work of the Holy Spirit, through the Word, is to bring men into obedience to God’s order and God’s law. (2 ) Covetousness. Balaam was a prophet, not an Israelite. He was ac quainted with God and with Israel’s history. He no doubt possessed the power to bless and curse. He con fessed his power to be from God and that it could only be used by God’s permission. When the ambassadors came to him he failed to send them away at once. He tarried all night. He toyed with his conscience,— a dan gerous proposition for any man. When the second delegation came, he did the same thing, and yielded. The desire for gain and position was too much for him. The ass he rode had more discernment in spiritual things than had his master.. Often the seemingly dumb, stupid ignoramus has more real sense than a college profes sor. Take heed and beware of covet ousness (James 1 :14 ). (8) Sacrilege. The “gainsaying of Korah” is a familiar scene. Moses and Aaron were God’s appointed mediators between God and man. It was a holy and exalted position, typical of Christ’s work for us as Mediator now. Korah and his followers assumed authority to exercise the gifts which had been given to Moses and Aaron. This is serious business. The priests of Rome assume this position today. They thrust them selves into the place of the Man Christ Jesus— the one and only Mediator be tween God and man (1 Tim, 1 :5 ). Moses and Aaron, as priests, were authorized and qualified -to offer the blood and incense. No one else could. This is the work that only our Lord Jesus Christ can perform now for us. Woe to the man and woe to the churcfi that dares to come between God and man and trifle with their soulsjij' Korah and his followers committed a three fold sin: (1) They denied the power of Moses. (2) They despised his authority. (3) They disobeyed his commands. They established their own authority. So men treat our Lord and His authority today. Compare these three sins with the three fold temptation of Eve (Gen. 3) and of Christ (Matthew 4 ). Korah and his family were swept by one act of God from the face of the earth (Prov. 24: 2 2 ), (Continued on page 222)
The fact that Michael recognized the authority of .Satan and brought no railing accusation against him, is used here as an illustration of the depth of sin into which the deniers of the Gos pel had gotten when they spoke lightly of angels and of the Lord Himself (v. 10): “ Bu t t h e se speak Jude is tremendously in earnest, for he could see what false teaching would lead to. He tears off the mask and shows beneath the sheep’s clothing, the form of the wolves. (6) The Commitment of the Cor rupters to Eternal Doom, vs. 11-13. Having written to them of the com mon salvation (v. 3) and admonished them concerning the wolves in sheep’s clothing and the awful doom awaiting them, he now calls attention to the history of the three representative temptations to evil, as illustrated in three outstanding historical charac ters (v. 11): t h e y know (1 ) The Way of Cain (self-w ill); (2) The Error of Balaam (covet ousness and sensuality); (3 ) The Gainsaying of Koralh (sac rilege). , These three professing religious men evidenced the types of prevailing sins which have always dominated hu manity ahd which are especially con demned in one who professes godli ness. ( i ) Self-will. The sin of Cain lay in his choosing his own way instead of worshipping God. God had estab lished an order of worship, manifested in the act of Abel and no doubt prac ticed by Adam (Heb. 11 :4 ). Cain’s sin in refusing to worship God in the way He had prescribed, is the root sin. The sacrifice which God will ac cept must be made according to the principle which He Himself has or dered. Note God’s order: (1 ) The surren der of man’s will. (2) The offering of man’s gift or sacrifice. Man’s order is (1 ) The gift. (2 ) The man. Cain laid his offering— the fruit of a cursed,earth— upon the altar which he had built. God rejected it. Abel brought a blood offering, thus con fessing himself a sinner needing a sac rifice of life in his stead. God ac cepted it. The reversal of God’s order of wor ship is the source of all false teaching.
e v i l o f th o se t hi ng s
which not ; but w h a t t h e y know natu ra lly , as b ru te be a st s, in th ose t h in g s t h e y c or ru p t t he m se lve s.”
“ W oe u nto th em ! for th ey have go ne i n t h è w a y o f C a i n , a n d r a n g r e e d il y aft er the e r r o r o f Ba laa m for r ew a rd , a n d pe r ished in th e g a in s a y in g o f C o r e .” -
Having illustrated his discussion of the judgments of God with incidents from the Old Testament, Jude now re turns to the sinners of his own day and gives a threefold condemnation of these “filthy dreamers” : «Lik ew ise also t h e se fil th y d r e a m e r s d ef il e th e fl e s h , despise d o m i n i o n , a n d . sp e a k e v il o f d ig n it ie s” (v . 8) .
w hen co n ten din g w it h th e dev il he d is p u ted a b o u t t h e b o d y o f M o s e s , du rst no t b rin g a g a in s t him a r a ili n g accusa tion , b u t sai d, T h e L o r d re bu ke the e. ”
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