1Jude, 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 and 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 which was once for all handed down to the saints. 4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. "
My whole life and ministry is devoted to the truth, you could even say that it's driven by the truth, because I am very passionate about the faith. I live and breathe for the revealed truth in the Scripture. I believe what Jesus Himself says that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
In Christ's precious name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: Called, Kept and Loved
God's Word delivered by Holy Spirit to the Apostles for the church. It is the teachings that holds the church together, and causes us to be a beacon and a light to a lost and dying world. When you think of the faithful saints and martyrs who suffered and died so that
we might have God’s truth, I believe that it should make you want to take your place in God’s
army and be faithful unto death, for the benefit of the next generation. If we, as Christians, don’t fight for the truth, then who will? We must literally snatch souls out of the fire!
Far too many Christians see this life as a playground rather than a battleground. They
have the mentality that as long as I am a Christian then I'm safe and I'll never
have to face the enemy. Whether we believe it or not, the enemy is entrenched and ready to fight, seeking to destroy us. The Apostle Paul didn't tell us in the book of Ephesians to put on the full armor of God, because we'll never need it. He warned us because he knew that this life is a battleground and we need to armored up, ready to face the enemy.
I pray that today's message will cause each of you will answer in your own heart, "Am I willing to fight for the faith?" Because the truth is always under attack, each of us are responsible to hold up the truth, to wield the truth against all the speculations raised up against the knowledge of God.
Open with me your Bibles to the book of Jude. I believe if there is any message that the church today needs to hear, it’s this one. It's language is strong, it’s harsh, it’s severe, and it’s politically incorrect. Perhaps, that’s why you hear so few sermons on the book of Jude today. There seems to be a lack of serious theology in our churches and from our pulpits today. I personally believe, that the leaders of our churches, aren't doing so good right now. The church is not believing unto salvation. We have a generation of so-called Christians today, that is going to split hell wide open. This, is very, very troubling to me. Because we are talking about eternal life and eternal death here.
In a time when need strong evangelism, the church today is weak and compromising. Christians seem to be more interested in defending political candidates than defending the truth of God.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds, as we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit is saying to each of
us. Listen for the voice of our Lord. Jude 1-4.
"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: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. 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 which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, Satan has done everything within his power to obliterate the truth. He has twisted the truth, hidden the truth and even lied about the truth. One way or another, down through the ages, the truth has been under attack. Satan and his demons, have been engaged in a long war against God and against His truth. However, the deadliest assaults against the truth come from within the church itself.
II Corinthians 10, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God."
Jude calls himself "the brother of James" rather than "the brother of Jesus," which has caused some speculation as to it's author. However, most scholars accept Jude as both authentic and written by Jude, the brother of Jesus. In Palestinian Jewish-Christian circles in the
early church used the title ‘brother of the Lord’ not simply to
identify the brothers, but as ascribing to them an authoritative status,
and therefore the brothers themselves, not wishing to claim an
authority based on mere blood-relationship to Jesus, avoided the term.
Jude, is the last of the epistles, it is the only book in the Bible devoted entirely to discussing apostasy all the way out to the end of the Church age, and in it, he describes for us the battle for the truth that’s going to go on till the very end. A reasonable reading of Jude suggests that the apostles with whom he would have associated had all died. Since Jude was not one of the
founding missionaries of the church, to which he writes, he speaks of
the Apostles’ teaching rather than his own.
Like his older brother James, Jude did not place his faith in Jesus until after the crucifixion and resurrection. Therefore, the family connection is obscured by the wonder of salvation. The book of Jude is rather difficult to date, primarily because the
Bible reveals so little about the personal details. The striking similarity between the books of Jude and II Peter, indicate Jude probably wrote his epistle sometime between AD 67 and 80, since II Peter is estimated to be written between AD 64–66.
Jude eagerly communicates the urgency of his certitude, that false teachers needed to be condemned and removed from the church.And, he certainly didn't waste time or space dancing around the issue. Jude’s purpose in his letter was twofold: he wanted to expose the false
teachers that had infiltrated the Christian community, and he wanted to
encourage Christians to stand firm in the faith and fight for the truth. Jude reminds us all, that in this age of tolerance and inclusion, there is still a time and a place for the aggressive
protection of the truth from those who would seek to destroy it.
Verse 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."
I would like you to notice that he says you’re called, you’re loved, you’re kept. I believe that it is very important to understand why he says this. Because we about to engage our minds as embark in a discussion about apostasy. Even as apostasy begins to escalate, realizing it’s seriousness, and a dangerous battle, you have nothing to fear. Because you are the called, the loved, and the kept.
The word "called" is the verbal adjective "klētós," it’s a synonym for chosen, or the elect. If you’re chosen, your faith sustains. It is this calling that sets us apart and makes us both loved and kept. There is only one time in the New Testament that it means something other than being chosen, in a general invitation to salvation, in Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen." People are always responsible for their response to God’s general invitations to salvation. Some will respond in belief. While others, will reject it. To refuse the invitation to salvation, is to bring upon yourself condemnation.
Then, there is the efficacious call, this call is internal, in which God is the caller. This is God moving through the work of the Holy Spirit. This is the irresistible saving call. In the general call, its typically the preacher or a witness.
This is what Jesus was talking about in John 6:45, when He said "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." And, if you're not called, in verse 37, He said "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out."
Not only called, we are loved, "Beloved in God the Father." For reasons unknown to us, God set His love on us. What beautiful statement. Before we ever were born, we were loved. In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God's love toward us was openly demonstrated at Calvary when Christ died as a substitute for our sins. That love continued until the time that the Holy Spirit convicted us and God called us and justified us. It was manifested in the past, and it continues now and in the future, it’s a perfect participle.
Then Jude says "and kept for Jesus Christ." He knows who are His. In John chapter 10, Jesus said "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."
Once you’re in the Father’s hand and in the hands of Christ, no one can take you out! We are a gift of love from the Father to the Son, so we’re caught up in that love and nothing can ever change that. Jesus keeps us by giving us His Spirit, He keeps us by interceding for us, He keeps us by loving us as a gift from the Father, and the Father keeps us because His power cannot be overcome.
Then, in verse 2, he says "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you."
Because you’re the called and the loved and the kept, may mercy and peace and love be "pléthunó," it the Greek verb meaning made full to maximum capacity. It is the promise that no matter how difficult the battle is, you're not only going to survive it, you'll experience multiplied blessing. And, mercy is part of that, because God is rich in mercy. We are the vessel of His mercy. He keeps pouring it in us. We have multiplied mercy for all of our sin. Not only that, we have multiplies peace in every situation.
In John 14:27, Jesus says "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." When trouble comes into your life, He pours out His peace. When sin comes into your life, He pours out mercy.
Next, we have love multiplied to us. The love of God is poured out within our hearts. And, He is continually multiplying His blessing.
I think this is as far as we're going to be able to get today. Time always goes by so fast, there's just so much here, but we'll have to wait until next time. I'll hope you will join us again.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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