SEPTEMBER Four Wonderful Things God Does for Us (Jude 1–2) (3)

God calls us, loves/sanctifies us, keeps us, and …

3. He keeps us (1d)

We are kept for Jesus Christ (1d).

The word translated kept, or “preserved,” (tēreō, tay-reh′-oh) means “to guard from loss” or “to maintain.”

It is not our trust that keeps us, but the God in whom we trust who keeps us.

Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to me.

A farmer was known for giving extensively to the Lord’s work. He explained it this way: “I keep shoveling into God’s bin, and God keeps shoveling back into mine, and He has the bigger shovel.”

We can rest easy in Christ, knowing our salvation is keptsafe in heaven by His omnipotent hand.

How does 1 Peter 1:4 express this fact?

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:4

4. He meets our needs (2)

First, We See His Designation—Jude 1)

Notice three things about this designation.

(A)The Commonness of the Name—Jude is short for Judas and this was a name quite common in that day.

In the Bible itself, we have:

Judas Iscariot (John 13:2) And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

Judas not Iscariot (John 14:22) Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

Judas of Galilee mentioned by Gamaliel. (Acts 5:37) After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

Judas of Damascus to whose home Paul was taken after his conversion.

(Acts 9:11) And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

Judas Barsabbas sent to report results of Jerusalem Council to Antioch. (Acts 15:22).But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

This was a common name until Judas Iscariot transformed it into a name no one wanted to name his child.

(B) The Challenge of the Name—The word Judas means “praise” or “honored.”

In naming a child in the first century world, parents would call their child by a name that described something special about the child or something they wanted the child to fulfill later on.

In naming their son “honored,” these parents were laying upon his shoulders a challenge for him to live the kind of life that would bring honor.

From all we can tell, he did live up to his name.

(C)The Connotation of the Name—From the New Testament period on, the name “Jude” or “Judas” was seldom used as a name for a newborn baby.

The connotation is still with us.

The most ironic thing about it is that the name “Judas,” a name which has the connotation of apostasy, stands at the beginning of the one New Testament book which is devoted entirely to attacking apostasy.

(Second, We See His Description—Bondslave)

The author was a man named Jude.

As if to indicate this was not the most important thing about him, Jude immediately described himself with the word doulos which means servant or bondslave.

Jude was the half-brother of Jesus, but he did not describe himself in such a way.

Instead, he felt the most important thing to remember about him was not his physical relationship but his spiritual position.

He was a servant of Jesus Christ.

That word carries with it two ideas.

a. Ownership—To call oneself a servant or slave meant that you were not your own. You belonged to someone else.

It is the attitude expressed by William Carey when he said, “I am not my own, nor would I choose for myself. Let God employ me where he thinks fit.”

b. Obedience—A servant was responsible to his master and thus obedience was demanded.

We see this idea in the experience Jesus had with a centurion in Matthew 8.

The centurion told Jesus of his servant who was sick, and Jesus said He would come to heal him.

The centurion did not feel that it was necessary for Jesus to come.

All He had to do was to say the word and it would be done.

Then the centurion explained: “For I too understand this thing of authority, and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant (doulos) ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

A servant is one to whom the master says “Do this,” and he does it.

There is no greater glory for a Christian than to be able to testify, “I do what the master says,” and no more honored description than to be called a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

Third, we see His Dependency—Brother of James

In mentioning his brother James, Jude was showing two things.

a. Interdependence—He did not call himself James’ brother simply to get a hearing for his letter.

Instead, he was affirming the fact that we are not alone.

He had a brother who was standing with him in the faith, one who was a brother according to the flesh and also a brother in Christ.

b. Influence—Even more, Jude was testifying to the kind of influence his brother had on him.

James was evidently the oldest brother in the family after Jesus died.

With three young brothers, James had the responsibility to influence them.

It is a testimony to James, not only that he served in a position of importance in the church but that he also had such a positive influence that one of his brothers, Symeon (according to tradition) would follow him as the head of the church in Jerusalem, and another brother, Jude, would write a letter against apostasy and cite James’ name in the introduction to the letter.

James’ influence is commendable.

Jude identified himself as the slave of Jesus Christ and the brother of James.

Jude now prays for his readers: May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you (2).

The word translated mercy (eleos, el′-eh-os) means “compassion.”

Mercy also means we don’t get what we deserve.

We must have God’s mercy to receive salvation and not get the eternal condemnation we deserve.

Yet, we also need mercy throughout our Christian lives because we all occasionally are guilty of sin in attitudes or actions.

At those times, we can approach God’s throne of grace and receive mercy in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Peace refers to inner tranquility or calmness during the problems and difficulties of life.

James reminds his readers that God brings difficulties into believers’ lives for a purpose, and that this purpose can be accomplished only if they respond in the right way to their problems.

There is no greater fallacy than to imagine that the moment a man is converted and becomes a Christian, all his problems are solved and all his difficulties vanish.

The Christian life is full of difficulties, full of pitfalls and snares.

That is why we need the Scriptures.

There is no problem of discipline in a graveyard; there is no problem very much in a formal church.

The problems arise when there is life.

A poor sickly child is not difficult to handle, but when that child is well and full of life and of vigour, well, then you have your problems.

Problems are created by life and by vigour, and the problems of the early church were spiritual problems, problems arising because of the danger of going to excess in the spiritual realm.

The difficulties that inevitably afflict believers have the purpose of deepening commitment to God in Christ.

But this purpose can be accomplished only if they respond in the right way to their problems.

When you are afraid and you have lost your faith, difficulties and problems are magnified.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This peace passes all human understanding and guards our hearts and minds during difficult times (Philip. 4:7).

Love reminds us of Christ’s love, which He demonstrated when He died on the cross for our sins.

How does Revelation 1:5d express this?

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Revelation 1:5

Revelation 1:5 (KJV 1900)

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Jude prays: May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

The word multiplied shows his desire that throughout our Christian lives we will experience more and more of God’s mercy, peace and love.

God meets all our needs through His mercy, His peace, and His love.

Characteristics of Jude’s Readers in verse 2

“Called”

Those who had accepted the invitation to become disciples of Jesus

“Loved by God”

Divine love that always includes positive goodwill towards its object

“Kept by Jesus Christ”

Jesus keeps a watchful care over them and protects them from harm.

Jude wished his readers an experience of mercy that would allow them to know the benefits of love and peace.

By using the word “abundance,” Jude was wishing that they might see mercy, love, and peace increase in their Christian experience.

They were Kept

a. The Promise—What a glorious word this is. In His high priestly prayer in John 17:11, Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.”

Jude reaffirmed the prayer of Christ with this promise—God will do what Jesus asked.

God will keep us, and nothing—not our successes nor our failures,not our ups nor our downs,not our sins nor our saintliness,not life nor death nor anything else in all God’s creationwill be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

No matter how wicked the apostasy that settles down on the church, those who are called and loved of God will be kept by God.

It is worthwhile to note that before the stinging indictments of the book of Jude, we have these reassuring words of comfort.

b. The Perception—There are many great thoughts that have passed through the minds of man, but I contend that this perception—

that we have been called by God,

that we are abiding now in the presence of God’s love, and

that we are being kept by God for the eternity of glorious blessings that He has waiting for us—is among the greatest thoughts that have ever passed through the minds of man.

As one man has put it, “We are kept by God for Christ from evil.”

The Announcement

After identifying himself and those to whom he wrote, Jude announced the things he would like these people to enjoy, the blessings of God available to these who have been called, and are being loved and kept.

1. The Uniqueness of this blessing

Before we look at the words, we need to point out that this is the only use of this exact blessing in the New Testament.

Brethren, if you wish to give your children a blessing when you die, be a blessing to them while you live.

If you would make your last words worth the hearing, let your whole life be worth the seeing.

It is a vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found—in loving obedience.

Mercy is used in some of them, and peace in some, and grace in some but never these three in this exact combination.

2. The Understanding of this blessing

a. Mercy—This is divine pity expressing itself in help for the needy.

It is compassion plus action, and it is the foundation for our relationship with God.

One man in court was told by his lawyer, “I will try my best to get justice in the court.” To which the man cried out in anguish,

“I don’t need justice. I need mercy.”

That should be the basic feeling of every one of us as we stand before God. We need mercy.

Jude prayed that they might experience it in its fullness.

b. Peace—This is what we have because of the mercy of God.

Peace is “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing from God.”

If there is anything that people crave today, it is peace, and such peace will not be found in material possessions or worldly success or physical pleasure.

This peace comes only through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 says, “By faith we have peace with God.”

c. Love—The word used here is agape. This is a reference to God’s love for us.

When filled with God’s mercy and strengthened by God’s peace, His love will flow in and through our lives.

3. The Unendingness of this blessing

Jude announced to his readers that if they held firm to the faith and rejected the heresy that was threatening them,

not only would they know the mercy, peace, and love of God but that it would in addition be multiplied to them and that their enjoyment with

Christ would just keep getting better and better and better until that day when they will be ushered into His presence.

That promise is also ours today.