Until He Comes Back

NASB20]

1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all [time] handed down to the saints.

4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

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.

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;

13 wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like [dirty] foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.

14 [It was] also about these people [that] Enoch, [in the] seventh [generation] from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones,

15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their [own] lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of [gaining an] advantage.

17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,

18 that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts."

19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy,

25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION:

Notes:

1.     This book was difficult to be accepted as part of the Canon of the Bible

a.     Because Jude cites 1 Enoch which is not part of the Canon

b.     Because of how short the book is

c.     Seemed to be too harsh of a message

d.     All of what’s said in Jude is said in 2 Peter

2.     Peter validates Jude as a MOG

3.     Jude touches on things that some don’t and will not address

Audience:  To the called; those loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ

Why write the letter?  He at first wanted to write to this people and teach about their common faith, but he felt it was necessary to write to them about contending or fighting for the faith that was passed down to the saints of old.

Why fight for this faith?  Because some people have who were identified as deceivers, have secretly slipped in amongst them.

These persons are

1.     Ungodly or Godless

2.     They turn the grace of God in teaching that one is able to continue in indecent behavior after salvation, which denies the power of God that is able to change us…

3.     They contaminate their bodies

4.     They have no respect for authority (Rebellious)

5.     They blaspheme against angels

6.     They speak against everything they don’t understand

7.     They go the way of Cain (They murder their brothers because of their lack of acknowledgment)

8.     For pay (money) they are hired to prophecy like Balaam

9.     Like Korah the rebel against leadership

10.  They are shepherds who only care for themselves

11.  They are not producing what they are suppose to (Clouds with no rain but still operating; trees in harvest season but have no fruit)

12.  Twice dead

13.  Uprooted (Not planted)

14.  Produce dirty deeds like waves in the sea produce dirty foam

15.  They complain against God and His provisions (Murmurers)

16.  Faultfinders

17.  Follow after their own lusts

18.  Arrogant

19.  Flatter with their words for their own advantage

20.  Scoffers or mockers

21.  Follow after their own lusts

22.  They cause division

23.  Carnal minded, worldly minded, thinking more of the flesh than the things of God

24.  They don’t have Holy Spirit

These are all signs of us being in the Last days, or the times when Christ is coming back.

In all of what’s happening; In all of what the Church and what we as individuals are going through, we have an obligation during these times.

The first thing Jude says is to concentrate on yourself and don’t do anything about the false teachers.  He says Keep yourselves in the LOVE of GOD by

1.     Building up ourselves (Construct our spiritual house) on our Holy (precious) faith. – Strengthen our faith – How? Faith comes by hearing, read the Word and listen to sermons from trusted preachers and teachers.  Get in the Word until you find yourself in love with the Word.

2.     Praying in the Holy Ghost – Spirit or Ghost (In Rome guy told me it’s Spirit not Ghost) Pneuma.  How do you pray in the Spirit.  Paul teaches that there is a heavenly language that only God understands.  Praying in this language that the Spirit gives us and this prayer strengthens our spirit.  It strengthens our bond with Jesus.  Also, pray the scriptures – Is 43:26 “Put me in remembrance of My Word” God says.  God wants us to remind Him of what He said, not that He forgot, but that we trust Him enough to say His Word back to Him.

3.     Have mercy on those false teacher and Preach Jesus to them.  Some preach Hell to them and others be a little more compassionate, Hopefully making a difference in their lives.

Conclusion:

Jesus is soon to come back and it imperative that we stop looking around us first and look within us and make sure we have it together, and we must preach Jesus.  He’s the only one that can prick the hearts of men and change the course of their destinies.