Jude 20-21
Notes
Transcript
Last week we in our text Jude changes direction and begins to focus on what his audience can do and how they can recognize the false teachers who creep in.
He starts with a command Jude 17
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
Develop the command
18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”
Recognize the false teaching for what it is…
Theses individuals are wrapped up in themselves and cause division mocking God’s law and moral precepts
We learned that Jude disqualifies these false teachers not just on what they teach but by how they are living their life.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
This is the word of God…
Jude continues his encouragement of his audience
Dear Friends
Dear Friends
The phrase “dearly friends” — a person who loved and cherished, sometimes preferred above all others and treated with partiality.
These Christians were special to Jude and hence the emphasis seen in this letter.
Jude now lays out a spiritual strategy for the nurturing of a healthy Christian.
Jude anchors his instruction in the imperative “keep”
Then sets in place three participles that explain how they keep themselves in the love of God
So we are commanded to keep - keep watch over, guard, keep in a certain state
As with remember this is what the must do….
How are we to keep our love for God grounded in His love for us and his work on our behalf?
Building, Praying, and Waiting
Building, Praying, and Waiting
These three participles are connected to the command, their action is simultaneous, implying this is how you keep
“Building yourselves up in your most holy faith” — Remember the faith of verse three?
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
This faith is the foundation on which we are commanded to build — Scripture
As we learn the Bible and understand its truth, we grow, mature, and are built up.
Without Scripture there is no growth.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
“Praying in the Spirit” — The second part of the spiritual strategy is prayer.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Prayer keeps us close to God, keeps us in His presence.
Praying in the Spirit is us connecting with the presence of God’s spirit when pray
A Presence that resides in us — Romans 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
“Wait for the mercy of our Lord…” — We know with certainty that Christ is coming back!
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Jude reminds his hearers it is a coming of mercy unto eternal life.
The mercy that Jude prayed for in verse 2 — Jude 2
2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
This mercy will be realized when the King of glory comes — Psalm 24:7-8
7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
So Jude wants Christians growing in scripture, praying by the Spirit, and watching for Jesus coming, grounding them in God’s love!
A Grounded Triad
A Grounded Triad
Triad — a literary device that organizes information, actions, or ideas into patterns of three
He used dear friends three times — Vs.3, vs. 17, vs. 20 — Develop why!
Then the triad of building, praying, and waiting is grounded in understanding of God and His love for us
It is a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Develop the Connection — Faith (Building on…); Hope (Waiting…); Love (Praying…)
Jude seems to be making a contrast with what has been said about the false teachers. — Develop
The false teachers will come to judgment, but having no hope.
They will be judged, convicted, and sent to the blackest darkness reserved for them.
However, Jude’s readers he implies will also face judgement but connects it with the word mercy, the anchor of our hope.
In Jude’s time a king both punished his enemies and rewarded his followers.
Jude’s readers have something worth waiting for in the coming king, the very opposite of the false teachers.
Conclusion:
So are we going to fulfill the command and “keep ourselves in the love of God”?
If we answer is yes then follow The strategy laid out by Jude:
Build yourselves in your most holy faith
Pray in the Spirit
Wait for the mercy of our Lord!
