8 Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties. 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and all the things that they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have given themselves up to the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted.
Theme: Believers in the Church must be on the lookout for what false teachers do and what they are like.
They Scorn Supernatural Beings (v. 8d-10)
They’re Marked by Murder, Money, and Mutiny (v. 11)
5 Now I want to remind you, though you know everything once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place, these He has kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties.
Theme: Deceptive, immoral false teachers are headed for God’s eternal judgment, and true believers in the Church must be alerted not to follow or fall for them.
Three examples of arrogance and immorality that bring God’s wrath and condemnation.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and [g]understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
Big Idea: The true Gospel is the basis of the Christian’s faith, love, and hope, and so should be treasured above all other messages we hear in the world.
Outline: 4 Gospel truths we should remember and relish to help us be reassured in our faith in Christ.
The Gospel is objective – it is the same word of truth everywhere (1:5b-6)
The Gospel is comprehensive – it is to be heard, understood, and learned (1:6, 7)
The Gospel is productive – it brings spiritual life and growth (1:6, 8)
The Gospel is undeservedly given – it is the grace of God (1:6e)
