Book of Jude
Notes
Transcript
Persevering in Christ
Intro
At just 25 verses in this short but potent book, it should give me just about a minute or so per-verse to get through this sermon. I am positive I am not going to touch on everything we could learn here. My prayer is that it opens our eyes to the theme of the book and a deeper self study of the book and bible.
As I introduce the Book of Jude, please turn to it in your bibles. It is the book immediately before Revelation. Far right of your bible, and turn left. If you get to 1/2/3 John or 1 / 2 Peter you’ve gone too far.
Authorship:
Jude, Ἰούδας, Ioudas “EE-OO-Das”
The brother or half brother of Jesus Christ. Some scholars feel as though it might be the lesser known of the Jude’s, although when we look at a couple aiding verses, we can see that there is clarification of which Jude it is.
In Matthew we see Jesus teaching parables to his Disciples, and in Nazareth, Jesus was rejected and the people there asked,
Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
In Mark’s related verse:
Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”
These verses help us see that Jude is the brother of Jesus Christ. The only Jude in the bible to have a brother by the name of James, would also be the one which is brother to Jesus Christ. It is widely known and used that the Canon of Scripture has accepted that Jude as the writer.
Theme: The letter of Jude warns against those who, having gained admission to the church, were perverting the grace of God, denying “our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v. 4). He wrote multiple denunciations of these ungodly people who “defile the flesh” and “reject authority” (v. 8). He (Jude) urged Christians to continue in godliness and love toward such people, in some cases reasoning with them, in other cases “snatching them out of the fire” (v. 23).
Styling: It is written to be a letter or an essay that and in the time would typically be used as a sermon or speech to a crowd. 5 main smaller sections identified within, although not following this order exactly today. V:1-2 Greeting, 3-4 the purpose for writing, 5-16 is the judgment of intruders of the church. 17-23, the exhortation (emphatically urge) to the believers. Finally, 24-25 is the doxology of “praise to God.” Jude closes with one of the most beautiful doxologies in all of Scripture. (vv. 24-25)
Date: Confirmed by using textual criticism which found it to be identical to the writing in 2 Peter. Nearly identical writing, along with the same situation, scholars and theologians alike are assured that Jude was likely written in the mid 60’s A.D.
Body
V:1-2 Greeting
V:1-2- Notice here, Jude calls himself a “servant” 125 times (NT) (δοῦλος,doulos) of Jesus Christ and not brother of Jesus. He does call himself the brother of James though, which in turn does imply the brother of Jesus Christ. He writes to those who are also in Christ Jesus, (beloved) or fellow believers and church members. Romans 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In V:2 we see the closing statement, “mercy to those who read. “Mercy, Peace and love be multiplied.” 1 John 1:3; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2. In this short and simple prayer, Jude is aiming his prayer to God in order to maximize, in God’s will, the blessings of mercy, peace, and love.
V:3-6 Purpose for writing
V:3-When he sat down to write oringinally, Jude began to write about the common salvation we all share in Christ. Paul writes to this point in Titus 1:4.
Ultimately he decides to write in contention for the faith in the second half of V:3b.
1 Timothy 6:12- ”Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Luke 13:24-”Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”
Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 9:25-”Every athlete Athexercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Our faith is not perishable.
Philippians 1:27-”Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”
V:4-Why would Jude switch up what he is writing and begin to address the heresy which is identical to the false prophets of the OT. See not much has changed in 2000 years. OT heretics would tell believers that God’s judgment would not come upon them because of His special favor towards them.
(Jer 6:14, 8:11, 23:17; Ezekiel 13:6; Micah 3:5)
But as we see in related verses why, even today we still need to contend for our faith, the Church, and for Christ.
Jeremiah 23:16- “Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.”
Matthew 7:15- “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction”
V:5- Jude reminds us that God still destroyed those who did not believe even after rescuing them out of Egypt. Their privilege did not keep the rebellious members of that community from suffering the just judgment of God. Their privilege provided no security against their suffering, the proper consequences of distrust and disobedience.
1 Corinthians 10:5- “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”
Hebrews 3:19- “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”
2 Peter 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”
V:6-God even restrains angels who leave their proper serving place. He keeps them in eternal chains, and gloomy darkness.
1 Peter 2:4- “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;”
Revelation 20:2- “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,”
V:7- Sodom and Gomorrah had both become known for their wickedness, and sexual sins. The ending of the verse notes the eternal fire that the cities endured. Abraham contends with God, and we see one of the greatest prayer dialogs in the bible here, God and Abraham dialogue (Gen 18:23-33) 50/40/30/20/10. God punishes Sodom and Gomorrah, (Gen 19:23-39)
Genesis 19:24- “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.”
Deuteronomy 29:23-”the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath”
Luke 17:29- “but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all”
2 Peter 2:6- “ if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;”
V:8-11- Jude here points back to the previous verses likening our intruders to Sodom and Gomorrah rejecting authority, defiling the flesh (GK=go after the flesh, or fleshly desires) relying on their own selfish dreams. So here we are talking about those going after selfish gain now within the church. Jude tells us that we are to rebuke them, justly in God of course. Using the example of the archangel Micheal.
Exodus 22:28- 23 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
2 Peter 2:10- “and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,”
How scary is it that they do all of this and do not even shake, shudder, tremble or bat and eye at it. It seems to be second nature.
2 Peter 2:12- “But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,”
They walked like Cain, Genesis 4:5-8, forsaking biblical living for selfish gain.
2 Peter 2:15- “Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
V:12-13-Looking here at a list of the evil the intruders bring.
These are hidden reefs Nat your love feasts,
they feast with you without fear
2 Peter 2:13- “suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.”
shepherds feeding themselves
Ezekiel 34:2, 8, 10: all three elude to the shepherds of Israel feeding themselves and not the sheep.
waterless clouds swept along by winds
Proverbs 25:14-”Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.”
fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, R7 uprooted;
wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame;
Isaiah 57:20- ”But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.”
wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
2 Peter 2:17- “ These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.”
Surely none of which are good.
V:14-16- Here we see Jude harkening back to Enoch, who prophesied the Lord will return to execute judgment on these people.
Deuteronomy 33:2- “ He said, “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.”
V:16- we see again Jude laying out how these people act according to their selfish ways.
2 Peter 2:10- and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones
V:17-19 Jude reminds us that the predictions of the apostles tell us not to think of this as unexpected. These people will aim to cause divisions “devoid” of the spirit.
2 Peter 3:3- “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
V:20-23- Jude exhorts us to continue building ourselves up in the faith, through prayer while we wait on the mercy of the Lord leading to eternal life.
Ephesians 6:18- “praying R25 at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, R2 keep alert with all perseverance, making R3 supplication for all the saints,”
V:24-25 The doxology, or a praise to God. Jude focuses here on the fact that even with all the danger in falling away from God, He is able to help believers persevere. “He closes the Epistle with praise to God; by which he shows that our exhortations and labors can do nothing except through the power of God accompanying them.” (Calvin)
Application
In V:24 Jude writes, “To him who.” I see this as a call or challenge to help each other persevere in Christ. In order to do so, we must allow Jesus to dwell in our hearts and help keep each other accountable to Him. When was the last time you called, had coffee with, or ate a meal with a Brother or Sister?
Romans 16:2-”Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages”
Ephesians 3:20-”Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
John 17:12- “ While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
1 Peter 2:11- “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
Back to V:24, “to him who” which leans on
Isa 40:31 “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Gospel Presentation
If you are here today and don’t have a guy, girl, family to walk through life with (community) and help you persevere for Christ, let us know and we can work with you to help get you plugged in with someone.
Romans 3:23 all sinned, 6:23 wages are death, 5:8 Christ died for us and our sins past, present and future.
John 14:6 Christ is the only way: Believe (have faith) and invite him into our hearts,
Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:10 tells us that, “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness”
If you are here today feeling a conviction to pray or to turn your life or something in your life to Him at the foot of the cross, there are Deacons with name tags and other members in the back, and I will be up front if there are prayers and counsel needed. We would all be glad to talk with you about a decision to lay that item down or accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Closing prayer: Father, as we close out today and speak about our contending for the faith that is only held in you, I ask that you watch over us, help us find one another in love and to help keep each other accountable and continue fighting the good fight of faith. So that we can move into the future with positive, Godly direction. Loving one another and ready to help each other walk in a manner that is worthy. I pray Father as we move out of here and your house, please allow us to settle and rest into your Word, digging deeper into it in knowing that only You Father, are the one to help us move forward with perseverance!!
