Series: Jude

 

Title: We are called and kept by Christ to display his glory in the earth    

 

Back Story:                   

 

Who was Jude?

 

Jude (also known as Judas) was an apostle of Jesus. 

 

We know of another Judas who was also an apostle, but he was the one who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  He would be known as the son of perdition (punishment)

 

The Judas we are talking about today is not the same Judas who betrayed Jesus.  This Judas was the brother of James and of Jesus.  Yes, Mary and Joseph had children after Jesus check out this verse:

 

Matthew 13:55

 

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? 

 

It is worth mentioning that Jesus had two disciples with the name Judas.  One who betrayed the Lord and the other who was a faithful servant of the Lord.  He is distinguished to prevent confusion.

 

Which illustrates to us that God is Sovereign and He is in control. 

 

         Romans 9:21-23

 

²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 

 

In our case Judas Iscariot would be the dishonorable vessel whom God has prepared for destruction, while Judas or Jude, the brother of Jesus, in our story is the one whom He has used for honorable use.  

 

During this time, everyone especially believers were going through trying times.  The times were getting darker and to make matters worse, there was troubles in the church.  Where there had once been unadulterated preaching of the cross of Christ, False teachers and philosophers had crept into the church and their teachings had begun to water down the sacredness of the Christian life.

 

Such heresies probably made their appearance around 80-90 A.D. during the reign of the Emperor Domitian.  The powers that be attempted to bring the power of the church under the political leadership of the senate and people of Rome.

 

Jude’s letter is a response to the spiritual regression taking place in the early church.

Let’s begin.

Jude 1:1-2

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

This one opening line is packed with deep spiritual truths which we will unpack today. 

First, we know for certain who wrote this letter as he states his name in the opening phrase.  Jude, Judas as we have already determined to be the author.  By using his own name this shows that he is unashamed of the gospelto which he has written. He stands by it; he puts his name on it and was willing to die for it. 

In fact, Jude is believed to have been martyred either in Armenia or Beirut. Following his death, Jude's body was brought to Rome.

Jude openly identifies as a servant of Jesus Christ.  If you are to identify as anything let it be a servant of Christ

Interestingly, He does not stake his claim to fame by boasting that he is Jesus’ stepbrother, which he is, but rather that he was his servant. 

(If it were us we would have our social media feeds lined up with selfies of us and Jesus)

Servant - doulos – a term used by apostles whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.

According to Jewish practice, persons came to be bondservants by being purchased. In which case a person who was bought would become the possession of his master.  To be a bondservant of Christ is to accept the fact that He has purchased us with His blood and that we belong to Him.  We are no longer free to live according to our plansbecause Christ has become our master.  We live for His purpose.

It is better to be bonded with Jesus spiritually, which has eternal value, rather than be bonded only by physical bondwhich is here today and gone tomorrow.  Jesus put it this way to Thomas:

            John 20:29

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The way that we are bonded to Jesus is through faith.  It takes more faith to believe in something you do not seerather than what you do see.  Faith pleases God. There are eternal rewards for those who have faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Furthermore, being bonded to Jesus with a servant mentality produces in us a desire to be used by Him to advance His kingdom.  Being bonded to Jesus as a servant gives us a great sense of purpose.

 Thus Jude sees more value in being Christ’s servant rather than being his step brother.

^1a To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

 

In this second part of verse 1, we find to whom this letter is addressed.  To those who are called.

Called for what you may ask?  Or perhaps a better question is called from what?

 

Called (KJV sanctified) – hagiazō to purify internally by reformation of soul

 

Jude is not writing to unbelievers but to believers, to those whom God has called (set apart) and redeemed for Himself.  He is writing to those who are being sanctified or overhauled by the Spirit of God.

 

Christians are the called, called out of the world, above the world, to higher and better things, heavenly things unseen and eternal,—called from sin to Christ, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to holiness; Those who are the beloved of the Lord are called. They have heard a voice which those of this world have not heard.

 

Just as He had brought Abraham from His homeland and promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, and that they would inherit the land of Canaan, He brings us out from the world and puts us on a separate path which leads to the promise of eternal life.

 

If you have had a reformation of the soul, then you the called, the saints, you are set apart. Therefore, the book of Jude is for you.

 

As we continue in our text we come across the phrase “kept for Jesus Christ.”  What does that mean?

There is a two-part meaning to this. 

 

The first part means that we have no eyes but for Jesus, no ears but for Jesus, no tongue but for Jesus; let us be ever, only, all for him.

 

• What have I to do with seeking the things of this world? I am kept for Jesus Christ.
• What have I to do with idols? I am kept for Jesus Christ.
• What have I to do with living for myself, or to win the applause of men?
• What have we to do with anything but this— We are “Kept for Jesus Christ

 

The second part is that we are not kept by our own doing but by His. 

 

         1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

 

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

 

In other words, the God who calls you is the same God who can sanctify and keep you to the end.  He is committedto see that you will make it to the end.   Speaking of making it to the end, let’s remind ourselves of why Jude wrote this letter.  Because of the spiritual depravity which he was seeing in the church. 

 

Now let’s look at what Jude suggests as a remedy to this problem. 

 

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

The way to overcome the problem of false teachers and philosophers diluting the gospel is to excel in mercy, peace and love.   Notice Jude did not say “the cause is in danger, so you need to fight.”

 

            Ephesians 6:12

        

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

 

Rather Jude says you need to have a multiplied dose of mercy, peace and love.

 

Why?  Because these are the characteristics of God. 

 

1. He is merciful to those who do not deserve mercy, so be merciful.

 

We always want God to be merciful to us by forgiving our sins, supplying our every need, sustain us during trials.  But are we merciful to others?

 

James 2:13

 

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

 

Jude would suggest having a multiplied dose of mercy, not to hoard it for yourself but to give to others.  Through the lens of mercy could one have the wisdom to confront the evil around him.

 

1. He is the prince of peace. So, we should strive to live peaceful lives as it states in

 

         Hebrews 12:14

 

¹⁴ Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

 

            Charles Spurgeon –

 

The man who is at perfect peace with God, who is at perfect peace with his own conscience, who is at peace with all his fellow-men, who especially cultivates peace by behaving himself aright in the household of God, this is the man who is strong in the midst of unrest and turmoil. 

 

            To find the strength you need amid unrest and turmoil, you must maintain your peace.

 

1. God is love; therefore we are to love one another.

 

         1 John 4:7-8

 

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

 

Charles Spurgeon – The best protection against surrounding evil will be the cultivation of a right state of heart and life, a continual growth in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. 

What does this mean for you and I?

 

Jude 1:1-2

 

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: ² May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

 

Like Jude our identity and our delight should be in the fact we are servants of Christ Jesus, not in anything else of this world.

 

As believers we are called and set apart for the work of the Lord, we are loved by God and kept (preserved) for Jesus.

 

If we are to be victorious over the schemes of the devil, even as he attempts to bring division in the church, we must have a multiplied dose of mercy, peace, and love. 

 

1. Has your identity been wrapped up in anything other Christ?

 

2. Would you consider yourself a servant of Jesus Christ?

 

3. If you are “kept for Christ” how does that impact your daily life?

 

4. Have you struggled with giving mercy, walking in peace or demonstrating love toward others?