Jude #1

Jude 1; Matthew 28:10

They Will See Me

These next few messages we are going to look at this epistle written by Jude. We could certainly spend several weeks here but I had only planned to spend two weeks in this book. My primary focus on those two is “Contending for the faith” and “Responding to Apostasy.”

But as I began to get into the background and study of our author, God began to speak and showed me something that we needed to dwell on today before looking at those two messages.

So, who’s the author of this letter? Well, there are 3 options we could consider.

• (1) He could be some unknown leader in the early church in Jerusalem who happened to be named Jude.
• (2) He could be the Jude who is the other Judas who was part of the original 12 disciples of Jesus. or
• (3) he could be Jude, the earthly or ½ brother of Jesus.

Well, we can rule out the 1st option because all those accepted as Biblical New Testament authors had some direct connection with Jesus as an apostle, companion of an apostle, in a supernatural way like Paul, or as in James’ case as a brother to Jesus.

Then, I believe we rule out the 2nd option because an apostel would have identified himself accordingly. Peter’s letters begin, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” and “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” John begins his 2nd and 3rd letters, “The Elder” a term for a Pastor. Having written those letters late in life, he had outlived all the other apostles, and he had been the Pastor of the large church in Ephesus. He was simply “the Pastor” to all who knew him or of him. Had this Jude been one of the 12 he would have said so to who his authority.

That brings us to the 3rd possibility. We know Jesus had other earthly brothers. They were obviously not begotten of God. But they were certainly the offspring of Mary and Joseph. We see them in Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31, Luke 8:19; and John 7:3. His sisters are mentioned in Matthew 13:56 and Mark 6:3. It was the fact that Jesus seemed to have come out of a normal home that caused those in Nazareth to doubt him.

If you read those verses you find that his siblings didn’t believe in him before his Resurrection. They ridiculed him at times and expressed frustration or embarrassment at him.

Oh but that all changed. People, whatever you may have thought about Jesus: teacher, martyr, example, or lunatic, whatever your view, it changes when you realize and embrace that not only did he die on a cross to pay for our sins, as an innocent substitutionary sacrifice. But also, he blew out the door of that grave and came out alive on the 3rd Day! And so, when the women, including his mother found the empty tomb, he appeared to them in Matthew 28:10 and said “Do not be afraid, Go and tell My Brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

“But wait”, you say, … of course, they grew up around Jesus. they were younger siblings when Jesus confounded the teachers in the temple with his knowledge of the Scriptures. They were most certainly at the Wedding when he turned water into win. Surely they believed in him all along. How could you live in the house with Jesus and not believe in him? Well you know what they say? “Familiarity breeds contempt”. Perhaps in their sinful state theyw ere too close to Jesus and too in love with themselves to SEE HIM for who he is.

Oh people, we need to SEE JESUS today … take another look. Oh I don’t know how many times I’ve had to answer a painful question for disillusioned new believer. They come to Christ in faith. And in their new faith they have found joy and excitement. In their joy and gratitude, they come to Worship Services and to Bible Study on Sunday morning and they find less people there at Bible Study. Then they come to Wednesday night Bible Class and find fewer still. Then they ask, “where is everyone, why aren’t they here getting this?” And I saidly don’t have a good answer for them. Oh, sure, some are hindered by things outside of their control. But most just have other cares, like Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10, where Paul says “Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me, and has gone to Thessalonica.”

People if we stop seeing Jesus, seeing what he did for us, we stop seeing the cross where he was tortured, beaten, mocked, nailed, lifted up, bled and died to satisfy God’s law for me.

If we stop seeing the Empty tomb where he defeated death and hell. We don’t realize the Power he has over the dead things in our lives. If we stop seeing him ascending in the clouds to the right hand of the Father we may forget that he is In CHARGE and will return “in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”.

New Life, Jude, James and their other brothers and sisters missed the great truth about Jesus for 20-30 years … definitely for the 3 ½ years of his public ministry.

Read John 7:1-10

“Even his OWN BROTHERS did not believe in Him”

My, My, My, brothers and sisters who bear his name, do we believe in him? Do we see him? He is our Sacrifice, Substitute, Subduer of the Grave, and Sovereign Savior? And that’s Why I’m Souled Out!

I was sitting in Starbucks on Thursday working on this message with my headphones on and that song, “Souled Out” was playing and I honestly was overcome, tears welled up in my eyes. He is our Sacrifice, Substitute, Subduer of the Grave and Sovereign Savior! And that IS Why I am Souled Out. Do you SEE Him as he is?

Souled Out (H. Walker)

I am souled Out, my mind is made up; I am souled out, my mind is made up

My heart is fixed, my mind’s made up, no room no vacancies, I’m all filled up

His Spirit lives in me and that’s the reason I’m souled out … YES

There was a time when his own household did not see him for who he is.

You know, sometimes we have BOUGHT IN but we are not SOLD OUT.

Folks I was overwhelmed when I realized that we want to buy stock, we want to make an investment in Christianity hoping for a profit. But we have to realize we are bankrupt and we have to sell out to Jesus!

Oh when we see him for who he is, it will change us!

New Life, are you all in or just hedging your bets? For the earthly brothers of Jesus something had to happen

For certain God must reveal himself to us. God has to draw us. But we cannot blame our lack of action on God, we are all without excuse because God has and does reveal himself to us. Just like he did for his family.

Romans 10:17 says “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”

Well, Jesus IS the Word of God, so every word that Jesus spoke for 33 years on earth was the living, articulated Word of God.

They had the general revelation of seeing creation, then they had the revelation of the actual hand of God at work in the ministry of Jesus, but they still did not believe.

Yet, after the resurrection, Jesus made an appointment with them, look again Matthew 28:10 “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Oh how I wish this very personal event was recorded for us. Much like Jesus also appeared to Peter alone to set right this one who had denied him.

We don’t know what this was like but I imagine it was much like others. Like when Jesus appeared to Mary, he just spoke her name, and the familiarity and love in his voice was all she needed and she knew he was alive. When Jesus appeared to Thomas, he said, “Look … here’s the physical evidence … my hand and feet show the nail scars … my side bears the scar of the soldier’s spear.” And Thomas cried “My Lord and My God.”

I’m sure that Jesus’ family had been with Mary those hours between death and resurrection and she had told them of the horror of his death. They KNEW he was dead. So, he appeared to them in Galilee. What do you think that was like? Do you think they were frightened because they knew He MUST be who they say He is?

I think it must have been like Joseph’s brothers in Egypt when he had become a great ruler there after they sold him into slavery. They had come seeking help in the famine and didn’t know he was their brother. Then came the moment that he revealed he was their brother whom they had rejected, sold, and forgotten about.

In Genesis 45, 20 years down the road from when they last had seen him, they didn’t know who he was. He told them, in verse 3, “I am Joseph!” It says they were “not able to answer him because they were terrified at his presence”

Can you imagine, Jesus appears to his family that had rejected him and must He must have said something like “I AM He – Yahweh Am I, I am He whom you said I was not.” Maybe he revealed himself in a visible and awesome way or perhaps it was a simple quiet, knowing, reassuring look and something like “Yes, I Am He … didn’t you know all along but just wouldn’t believe?”

Oh how there must have been some fear in their hearts. But when Joseph’s brothers were afraid, he could have said “NO SOUP FOR YOU!” J But instead he said “Come close to me … I am your brother … the one you sold into Egypt … do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves … it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you …”

I have to believe that, in like manner, Jesus must have told these who He loved so much, “Do not be afraid, come close … don’t be upset with yourselves … understand God sent me to save lives … and that includes yours”

Oh Praise the Lord, to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or imagine!!!

Oh this excites me! Somebody needs to make this MOVIE … what a beautiful story!

Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t give up on HIS FAMILY after all those years? He could said “you missed your opportunity … but I wanted you to know who I was and what you missed out on”. But that’s not Jesus is it? He is in the redeeming business. Micah 7:18 says God "delights in showing mercy”

That means Jesus had been anticipating THIS meeting all their lives. Oh how he longed for the chance to say to them “I love you, I forgive you, I receive you.”

What does 2 Peter 3:9 say? “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises … he is patient with you , not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The desire of Jesus is that ALL would come to him that all would receive eternal life. But in his foreknowledge in the eternal now that he dwells in, he knows who will respond to his call and he plans to transform them into his image. So, he is patient with them.

So, I am encouraged by the lives of these brothers and sisters and the apostles before the resurrection. Because if God could transform them … Think about the transforming power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that accompanies true faith.

The disciples denied Jesus in the dark night before his crucifixion. They fled. Peter denied him to a few people by a fire in the courtyard.

But 40 days later … They proclaimed him boldly in broad daylight to thousands as Crucified, Risen, Messiah, and Lord.

Then a short time later these same people were known as one who turned the world upside down! (Acts 17:6)

Jesus Changes Lives!

And so, here stands Jude. From being related to Jesus in name only to being “souled out”

Well, my time is getting away from me … but let me tell you what happens when we SEE HIM … I Mean SEE HIM as Resurrected Lord … when we SEE HIM for who he is … when we LOOK at Him, Gaze on Him, Wonder at Him

This “there they will see me” – this is the Greek Word horao (hor-ah-o) = “to see with eyes, to see with mind; to know; to become acquainted with by experience; to pay heed.”

Certainly Jude had seen Jesus. He had seen him his whole life. Jesus was his “big brother Jesus”.

Lots of people have seen Jesus. For some He’s just “Historical figure Jesus”, “Great Teacher Jesus”, “Tragic Martyr Jesus”, “Lunatic Jesus”, or even “Son of God, Jesus”. But, when you stop and pay attention. When you realize he was dead from Friday to Sunday. That he rose from the grave! If you really understand this … you really see this you will do what Jude did …

1. You Believe

Jude Believed when he saw his Resurrected Lord.

He wasn’t “big brother Jesus” He was Lord and God, Master and King …

In verse 1 of Jude’s letter he calls himself “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James”

James, his brother, in his letter doesn’t call Jesus “big brother.” No, since he met his Resurrected Lord, in his letter, he calls himself “James, a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ”

They both believed something significant about the guy who grew up in their house. James called him the “Lord Jesus Christ”

Kyrios (koo-ree-os) = owner, ruler, master, he to whom a person or thing belongs

Jude and James believed that this one they were all too familiar with was not just a man who was related to them, they knew now, THEY BELONGED to Him.

He was JESUS, yes, but He is Jesus Christ “Christos” – meaning He is the promised messiah. He is the One Anointed by God to save us from our sins. He is David’s Promised King. He is Abraham’s promised Lamb. He is Eve’s Promised seed who would crush the head of the serpent.

And folks, to believe Jude and James had to Repent of their Unbelief. They had to admit they had been wrong. They had to admit that all they had known before came up short.

One day a man came to Jesus for deliverance for his son from evil spirits. Jesus said “everything is possible for him who believes” and the man replied “I believe; help me overcome my unbelief”.

Dear ones, if you will look to Jesus, that very act is an act of faith and God knows that our faith is not enough. So he bridges the gap between our ability and what God requires.

Jude, James, the Disciples, and every child of God has to come to the moment when we look to God and believe that this man, Jesus, is MORE than a man, a brother, a teacher, an example, he is Creator, Savior, Lord, and Owner of All, Master and King.

But when you really SEE Jesus, when you know him by a careful look and experience, when you understand the resurrection …

2. You Will Draw Near

So, they met with the Resurrected Jesus … he showed them that He was who He said He was. He was the Anticipated and Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. And so they said “Cool! Ok, now back to our normal lives, back to Nazareth, back to the family Carpentry Business”

No … they immediately drew near to fellowship with him and with other believers.

When we SEE Jesus for who he is we know that knowledge isn’t enough … we need him every minute of every hour. We need the fellowship of Christ and we need one another.

Philippians 3:10-11 – "I want to know Christ and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

“somehow” – Yeah somehow …because, I don’t have to understand how God does it but THAT he did it IN Christ and promises to do it for ME!

But we know that Jude and the brothers drew near because there they are in the Upper Room.

In Acts 1:13-15 Jesus had ascended and the followers returned to Jerusalem to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. In that group were about 120 people. The 11 disciples, minus Judas Iscariot are mentioned by name. Mary the mother of Jesus is there mentioned for the last time in scripture. And it says they were “with his brothers” it literally means “his kinsman according to the flesh.”

His brothers, upon seeing Jesus, Crucified and Risen, and upon meeting him personally and privately they had embraced him as their Lord and drawn near to him and drawn near to his body of believers. They were an active and integral part of the church. And so will be ANY who See Jesus as he is and believe in him.

When you believe in him and draw near …

3. You Follow

It’s not enough to just believe and draw near to see him as he is …

we must follow and become LIKE him … and

In the upper room, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and said “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done”

Then Matthew 20:26-28 – “… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We must follow him. If you are not serving you are not following.

What did Jude call himself in Jude 1? “A Servant of Jesus Christ"

Doulos (doo-los) = a slave, a servant … meaning one who gives himself up to another’s will; those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men; devoted to one another to the disregard of one’s own interest

That’s how I know he was a follower because he became a servant. When we serve we are expressing love and imitating Jesus and that’s how people know we are his followers.

Church was never intended to be a simple lecture hall or entertainment venue. It wasn’t even meant to be ONLY a teaching theatre or a worship center only. The church is meant to be a living service organism that enlarges the Kingdom of God

If you are not serving, you are not following. If you are not serving, you aren’t seeing the Jesus who served you through the cross and empty tomb.

Jude, who had seen Jesus, and ALL who see the Resurrected Christ …

4. You Tell

Jude proclaimed Christ

He couldn’t help it. In Acts 2, he was in the upper room when the rushing of a mighty wind accompanied the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They began to speak, as they were enabled by the Holy Spirit, to everyone there in their own languages.

And what were they saying? Acts 2:11 they were “Declaring the wonders of God”

People, if you have seen Jesus as resurrected Lord and have received his wonderful mercy and grace; if he lives in you and thus you are indwelt by his Holy Spirit; then you must declare his Wonders.

If you do not tell, you have either never know him or you have looked to other things instead of him.

Do you believe that the message of Jesus Christ is true?

Do you believe that His gospel is life changing?

Is Jesus a giver of Eternal Life?

Is Jesus marriage saving, peace giving, life rebuilding, hope instilling?

Then why don’t we TELL IT?

Why don’t we shout it from the rooftops, blast it through email, facebook, and twitter … or an old fashion phone call or even imagine … a face to face conversation J

Thursday, while I was studying, sitting in Starbucks, I saw this woman excitedly talking to another woman. I thought she must be selling something, or maybe they were catching up on the latest gossip or life stories. “Wait” I thought, “maybe she is witnessing to her about Jesus, look at the way she is smiling and excited”.

She was so excited. Then I got up to go order more tea. As I walked by their table, dealt out on their table, was her “Gospel Presentation”. But it was not good news, it was not life-giving, it was not truth. They were Tarot Cards!

Not in a carnival tent, nor down a back alley in a run-down house with a lighted sign. It was right there in Starbucks, nothing to hide. Folks, Satan has come out of the back room and into the broad daylight.

Satan is upping his game.

Will we stay silent while lies are preached and embraced?

Have you seen my Savior?

Have you seen the Empty Tomb?

Have you heard the Eternity that awaits us?

Believe

Draw Near

Serve

Tell

What will you do?