Intro:
1. The Nelson Study Bible, "Few books in the N.T. have more to say to our generation than the Epistle of Jude. Distorters of the faith will find the book distasteful because of its warnings and uncompromising stance against defectors form the truth of Jesus Christ. But to those who approach the book with receptive hearts, Judes word's speak as clearly and forcefully today as they did almost two thousand years ago."
2. This is a small but powerful book.
3. The Descriptive Greeting about the Author.
Trans: Jude 1:1a
I. FIRST, JUDE IDENTITY.
Jude - literally Judas or Judah. The name Jude (Judas) is the Greek form of the well-known Old Testament Hebrew name Judah.
The term Ἰ-ού-δας [ee-oo-das] has 6 distinct uses in the New Testament. Specifically, it refers:
(1) to Judah, the son of Jacob in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:2);
(2) to Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 5:5; 7:5);
(3) to Judah, the southern kingdom after the division (Hebrews 7:14; 8:8);
(4) to Judas Iscariot, the thief who betrayed Jesus and committed suicide
(Matthew 27:3ff.; John 12:4ff.);
(5) to Judas, the son (brother, cf. KJV) of James [Greek text, just says lit.
"of James.", who was one of the 12 apostles (Luke 6:16);
(6) to Judas, the brother of the Lord (Mark 6:3) who authored the general epistle known as Jude. Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary - The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Zeta-Kappa.
II. FURTHERMORE, JUDE RECEPTION OF MERCY.
Jude - not Judas Iscariot!
Spurgeon, "This Judas was not the son of perdition, but a true son of God, a sincere and earnest-hearted believer. Yet, when he wrote his own name down, Judas, which we pronounce short as "Jude," I think that the tears must have come to his eyes as he remembered that other Judas,-with the same name, and by birth with the same nature.
If left to himself, he might have proved a traitor to his Master, like the other Judas; but grace had made him to differ from the man who betrayed his Lord. If it had been your case or mine, I am sure that we could not have written down that name without reflecting upon our obligations to the sovereign grace of God, which kept us from being sons of perdition."
How many Johnny Palmer s will die and go to hell - people with my same name, same sin nature, and same condition of spiritual death. Why will I end up in heaven instead of the lake of fire?
Grace! Rom. 3:10/Jn.1:12
There is an old saying that is true - "But for the grace of God go I!"
I think most of us feel like John Newton who said, "When I get to heaven I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be, to see many people there whom I did not expect to see—the second wonder will be, to miss many people whom I did expect to see; and the third and greatest wonder of all, will be to find myself there."
Ken Langley, "After worrying for half an hour that we wouldn't get on an overbooked flight, my wife and I were summoned to the check-in desk. A smiling agent whispered that this was our lucky day.
To get us on the plane he was bumping us up to first class. This was the first and only time we've been so pampered on an airplane—good food, hot coffee, plenty of elbow-room.
We played a little game, trying to guess who else didn't belong in first class. One man stuck out. He padded around the cabin in his socks, restlessly sampling magazines, playing with but never actually using the in-flight phones. Twice he sneezed so loudly we thought the oxygen masks would drop down. And when the attendant brought linen tablecloths for our breakfast trays, he tucked his into his collar as a bib.
We see misfits at church, too—people who obviously don't belong, people who embarrass us and cause us to feel superior. The truth is we don't belong there any more than they do."
III. NEXT, JUDE SLAVERY.
a bond-servant - δοῦλος doulos noun. Speaks of a slave, bondman, servant.
Every believer is a free will slave of Christ.
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, Acts 4:29 (NASB)
"Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation." Acts 16:17 (NASB)
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," Romans 1:1 (NASB)
"just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf," Colossians 1:7 (NASB)
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John," Revelation 1:1 (NASB)
"19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB)
MacArthur, "In the Greco-Roman world slavery was widespread, making the familiar New Testament designation bond-servant very significant. It denoted being owned and rendering absolute, selfless submission to someone, in this case to Jesus as Lord.
In this letter such identification is especially fitting because it sets Jude in sharp contrast to the apostates. He was a grateful, willing slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas the apostates denied Christ's lordship through their overtly sinful lifestyles. (v. 4; cf. 2 Peter 2:1)."
THE PICTURE of brokenness is of a wild stallion that wants its independence. It does not want to be ridden; it does not want to be told what to do. Now, it doesn't mind the cowboy feeding it or keeping the trough full of water. It doesn't mind having a place to go into out of the rain. It just doesn't want anyone to get on its back.
But the process of breaking a stallion or breaking a wild horse involves the cowboy getting on its back and riding it. The stallion usually bucks and bucks and tries to throw the cowboy off.
"Get off my back!" "Bless me with the food. Bless me with the water. Bless me with a covering. But don't get on my back!"
The cowboy gets on the back of the horse and rides it out. Sometime he's thrown off, but if the goal is the breaking, he rides that wild horse until it yields. How do you know when a horse has been broken? It doesn't lose its strength; it doesn't lose the muscles in its legs. It does not lose its God-given uniqueness and identity as a horse. It's just now a horse under somebody else's control.
Many of us want the blessings from God, but we don't want Him riding us and bringing us into submission to His will.
IV. FOURTHLY, JUDE CHRISTOLOGY.
of Jesus Christ - Christ is not His last name! It is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One.
A. First, the special Revelation.
He grew up with Jesus!
"54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas [Jude]? Matthew 13:54-55 (NASB)
B. Furthermore, his Rejection.
"1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. John 7:1-5 (NASB)
C. Finally, his Recognition.
What caused Him to believer that Jesus was the Christ? His resurrection.
Wiersbe, "Since the author of this epistle was the brother of James, this would make him the half brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Mark 6:3). Our Lord's brothers in the flesh did not believe in Him while He was ministering (John 7:5).
But after the Resurrection, James was converted (see 1 Cor. 15:7), and we have every reason to believe that Jude was also saved at that time. Acts 1:14 informs us that "His brethren" were part of the praying group that was awaiting the Holy Spirit; 1 Corinthians 9:5 states that "the brethren of the Lord" were known in the early church."
"None of the other children in Joseph and Mary's home were out of the ordinary. Jesus' sisters were just village girls. We would like to know more about them. His brothers—James, Joses, Simon, Judas—were nobodies too. In the end He won them all (Acts 1:12-14). James and Judas wrote books that found their way into the New Testament. James also became the leading elder of the Jerusalem church.
It is difficult for us to picture those brothers and sisters growing up in the same family as the sinless Son of God and being so blind as not to see who He really was. He was so human. He played with them, went to the synagogue school with them, watched over them, protected them, helped them, wept with them, laughed with them, sang with them, prayed with them, and dearly loved them. After the resurrection the Lord personally appeared to James, maybe in the workshop at Nazareth (1 Corinthians 15:7). In any case, His resurrection blew away the cobwebs from their eyes." John Phillips
The Resurrection makes the difference!
Wilder, "I remember that after I had worked in university centers in Portugal I went from there to Norway, and I was a little impressed by the difference among the people. I wondered how one could explain it.
Then I remembered that every representation I had seen in Portugal of Jesus Christ was that of as an infant in someones arms, or else as crucified on the cross.
But the first painting I saw on reaching Norway was that of the empty tomb, the three women and the angel. "He is not here; He is risen." The thought came to me, "May that not explain possibly some of the difference in the types of Christianity in Portugal and in Norway?"
"17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (NASB)
V. FINALLY, JUDE HUMILITY.
and brother of James - James and Jude were brothers - and half brothers of Jesus Christ. Our Lord of course was virgin born, but after He was born Mary and Joseph had children.
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him." Mark 6:3 (NASB)
"But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother." Galatians 1:19 (NASB)
He could have said "and half-brother of Jesus" - the fact that he did reveals his humility.
Reminds me of Elvis Presley - his name is a house-hold word. Today many people who cannot stand on their own seek fame off of his name.
From the United Press International in London, it reports that Elvis Presley is about to make his British debut—strumming his guitar and belting out rock-and-roll songs at a factory canteen.
But it's not the Elvis Presley of "Love Me Tender" fame who died in 1977. This one is a 35-year-old Bur-mese immigrant. His name was Na-rinder Singh until he had it legally changed to Elvis Presley. He said, "I thought it would help my career as a performer,"
Rick Stanley is billed as the step-brother of Elvis Presley.
Jude was not like that, he was too humble to advertise Himself as the half-brother of Jesus Christ.
God love humility in His children.
"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:12 (NASB)
"5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name," Philippians 2:5-9 (NKJV)
"5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time," 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NASB)
Con:
1. Descriptive greeting about the Author.
2. There are three difficulties in authorship: (1) to write anything worth publishing, (2)to find honest men to publish it, and (3) to get sensible men to read it. —C. C. Colton
Well we have gotten past the first two difficulties - the book of Jude is certainly worth publishing since it is inspired by the Holy Spirit; it was written by an honest man, in that he was writing under the inspiration of God; the only remaining difficulty is - are we sensible enough to show up week after week and study it?
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