Submitted by: Brother P. Wells
Related scriptures: Numbers 16:1-18:32, Psalms 5 & 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22
Y’hudah writes this letter to all who are called, loved by G-d and kept by Yeshua. This letter was of urgency to all who are in Messianic Community. This letter is very relevant then and especially now. Y’hudah warns us of certain individuals who have wormed their way into the community; these individuals are saboteurs and subversives. A saboteur is person who destroys or damages something deliberately and the subversive is one who is seeking or intents to subvert an established system or institution. This saboteur and subversive spirits comes to divide, it comes from ones desire to rebel, to be disobedient, to promote heresy and apostasy. To bring this close to home it starts in the heart of one who wants to be set apart from the community of believers, instead of being an active member in the body of Christ. Their wants and needs drive them and not the care and love for their brothers and sisters for the Glory of G-d. This saboteur and subversive spirits is like a horrible virus, it infects the individual through their desires and pride, once this occurs the infected person, infects others. These are the false and rebellious leaders and false believers of these so-called churches in this world who preach and teach the message of Yeshua for their own purposes. Y’hudah gives examples to remind us of the dangers of listening to these people, the exodus and the many incidents in the wilderness of unbelief in G-d’s word and His servant Moshe, the insurrection of the adversary and the destruction S’dom and Amora’, Cain allowing sin to produce a selfish jealous hatred that ended up in murder of his brother, Bil’am’s greed to curse the Israelites, and Korah to usurp G-d’s appointed leader and split the community. In verse 10 in Jude, Y’hudah warns of those who insult and do not obey the authority of G-d and those He has chosen as leaders. “However, these people insult anything they don’t understand; and what they do understand naturally, without thinking, like animals — by these things they are destroyed!” For all of these subversives and saboteurs judgment is waiting.
Summary Points
What do we as the Messianic community do to not allow this to happen?
First, and foremost to cling to the Word of Our L-rd and His teachings, Yeshua said, in Matt. 7.24. “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock.
Secondly, from 2 Peter 1.3-9 this is important for us to remember, God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowing the One who called us to his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us valuable and superlatively great promises, so that through them you might come to share in God’s nature and escape the corruption which evil desires have brought into the world. 5 For this very reason, try your hardest to furnish your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with perseverance, perseverance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you have these qualities in abundance, they keep you from being barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.9 Indeed, whoever lacks them is blind, so shortsighted that he forgets that his past sins have been washed away.