A Sermon on Jude 17-23

 

Apparently, some kind of failure occurred with the sound for the sermon on 7/28/24. Here is the full text.

Introduction

          Good morning, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, I want to share this morning from the book of Jude, a short but powerful book that appears in our Bibles between the letters of John and the imposing book of Revelation. The book of Jude is not just a reminder of the need to remain steadfast in our faith, but a source of inspiration and empowerment. This steadfastness should reassure us and give us confidence, and to contend for the truth of the gospel, especially in the face of false teachings and moral decay. In my study for this morning’s message, I have found that it contains some theological and practical truths that are crucial for us to consider in our walk with Christ. Let us begin by hearing the words Jude wrote to encourage the church from this small but powerful letter and seek to apply them as we walk with our Lord.

Lord, open our ears and hearts to the ways in which the Holy Spirit speaks to us through these words from Jude verses 17 through 23.

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last times, there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

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.

^22 “Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

Let us ask God to help us understand and apply these words to our lives:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your alive and powerful word. We thank you for the gift of salvation and the faith that you have given us. We ask you to help us be merciful to those who doubt, to save others by snatching them from the fire, and to show mercy with fear, hating the sin but loving the sinner. We ask you to protect us from false teachers who twist your grace and deny your lordship. We ask you to build us up in the

  most holy faith and keep us in your love as we wait for your mercy. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

 This is a call to action, a reminder that we are all sinners in need of God's grace and should extend that grace to others. Let us not be passive in our faith, but actively seek to share God's love and mercy with those around us. This is not just a suggestion, but a responsibility that we, as believers, must take seriously. Remember, the power of God's love and mercy can transform lives and bring hope to the hopeless.

This letter is written by Jude, the brother of James and the half-brother of Jesus. Jude penned this brief yet potent letter with a sense of urgency. He warned the church about the peril of false teachers who had stealthily infiltrated their ranks. In the 3^rd and 4th verses of Jude, he writes:

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. ⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

These deceivers were twisting the grace of God, denying the lordship of Jesus, and leading many astray with their immoral and ungodly ways. Jude's call to the believers was clear: believers are to contend earnestly for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints and remain steadfast in the love of God.

          Let us now briefly examine our passage this morning in a little more detail, so we can understand what Jude is saying to his original audience and us:

In verses 17-19, Jude reminded the readers of the apostles' prophetic warnings about the emergence of scoffers in the last days. These scoffers, driven by their own ungodly desires, would sow discord within the church. The Holy Spirit would not guide them, but by their own instincts. Their lack of understanding of God's grace would lead them to oppose the gospel's truth. We are living through times like those today, my friends. This underscores the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in guiding us and the importance of seeking His guidance in these challenging times.          In addition, Jude encouraged the believers to fortify themselves in their most holy faith. We accomplish this by first praying in the Holy Spirit, next remaining steadfast in the love of God, and finally eagerly anticipating the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life in verses 20-21. These three actions are crucial for the spiritual growth and endurance of the saints. Praying in the Holy Spirit means to pray in alignment with the Spirit's will and guidance, remembering that the Spirit is the one who intercedes for us and strengthens us in our weakness as Romans 8:26-27 proclaims, “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. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Remaining steadfast in the love of God means to dwell in His love by obeying His commandments and walking in His ways; as the apostle John quotes Jesus in his gospel in chapter15:9-10, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. We are urged to eagerly anticipate the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, which means living in the hope and expectation of His second coming when God will judge the living and the dead, and reward His faithful servants with eternal life, as Paul writes to Titus in chapter 2:11-14 ^“11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

In verses 22-23, we see that Jude concludes this brief passage with specific instructions on dealing with those the false teachers had influenced. He distinguished three groups of people: those who doubt, those who are defiled, and those who are doomed. For those who doubt, he urged the believers to have mercy on them and try to convince them of the truth. For those who are defiled, he urged the believers to have mercy on them with fear, and to snatch them out of the fire, as if rescuing someone from a burning building.  He also warned the believers to hate even the garment stained by the flesh, which means avoiding contamination or compromise with sin. For those who are doomed, he implied that there was no hope for them, as God had already condemned them. These are the ones who deliberately and persistently reject the gospel and blaspheme the Spirit of grace, as we read in Hebrews 10:26-31, ^“26. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people. ³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Jude's first instruction here is not a mere suggestion, but a solemn call to remember the apostles' words. These words, which had been spoken long ago, had warned them about the coming of mockers in the last time who would follow their own ungodly lusts. These mockers were false teachers who caused divisions and stirred up doubts among believers. They were worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit, and scoffed at the truth of God's word. Remembering these words is not just a mental exercise, but a spiritual discipline that we must uphold with reverence and commitment.

Remembering these words means holding fast to the New Testament teachings, which are the inspired and authoritative revelation of God's will for His people. The apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and they received the commission and the power of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel and plant churches. Their words are not human opinions or traditions but the very commands of God, which can make us wise for salvation and equip us for every good work.

Therefore, we need to study, meditate, and obey their words, and reject any teaching that contradicts or distorts them. We need to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15, who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things Paul taught them were true. We need to be like Timothy, who was taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood and who faithfully followed the doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance of Paul. We need to be like Peter, who affirmed that the writings of Paul were also Scripture, and who warned us to be careful not to be carried away by the error of the lawless. Outside of the Bible, one example of this kind of perseverance can be found in the life of William Wilberforce.

In the 1790s, William Wilberforce felt defeated in his battle against the slave trade. One night, feeling weary, he opened his Bible. A letter from John Wesley fell out, encouraging him: “If God be for you, who can be against you? Oh, be not weary of well-doing.” Inspired, Wilberforce continued his fight, eventually leading to the abolition of slavery in England.

The slave trade was abolished in England by Parliament in 1807. This story highlights the power of perseverance and faith, even when faced with overwhelming challenges.

 This brings us to Jude's next instruction, which is to build yourselves up in your most holy faith. This means growing and maturing in our understanding and applying the gospel, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel is not only the message that we believed when we first became Christians, but also the message that we need to hear and live by every day. The gospel is the most holy faith, because it reveals the holiness of God, who is righteous and cannot tolerate sin or compromise with evil. The gospel also reveals the holiness of Christ, the Son of God, and the perfect sacrifice for our sins, who died and rose again to secure our forgiveness and acceptance, and who lives and reigns as our Lord and Savior. The gospel also reveals the holiness of the Spirit, who is the gift of God and the seal of our salvation, who dwells in us and transforms us into the image of Christ, and who empowers us to live a holy and godly life.

To build ourselves up in our most holy faith means to deepen our knowledge and appreciation of the gospel, and to apply it to every area of our lives. It means to preach the gospel to ourselves daily, and to remind ourselves of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He expects from us. It means to confess our sins, repent of them, and receive God's grace and forgiveness. It means to trust in God's promises and to rely on His power. It means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It means to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and to produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control given to us in Galatians chapter 5:22-23,

The third instruction that Jude gave was to pray in the Holy Spirit. This means to pray according to the will and the word of God, and to depend on the guidance and the help of the Spirit. The Spirit is the one who intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered and who helps us in our weakness when we do not know what to pray for. The Spirit is the one who teaches us all things and brings to our remembrance all that Jesus said. The Spirit is the one who testifies of Jesus and glorifies Him. The Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and who leads us into all truth.

To pray in the Holy Spirit means to pray with faith and sincerity, and to avoid vain repetitions or empty words. It means to pray with reverence and awe, and to address God as our Father who is in heaven. It means to pray with submission and obedience and to say, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It means to pray with gratitude and praise and thank God for His many blessings and beautiful works. It means to pray with humility and repentance, and to ask God for His mercy and forgiveness. It means to pray with confidence and boldness, and to ask God for whatever we need, according to His will. It means to pray with love and compassion, and to intercede for others, especially for the saints, our Pastors, the lost, and the suffering.

Jude's fourth, and final instruction was to keep yourselves in the love of God. This means to abide in the relationship that God has established with us through Christ, and to enjoy the benefits and the responsibilities of being His children. The love of God is the source and the motive of our salvation, as it says in that familiar scripture John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The love of God is also the goal, and the measure of our sanctification, for God has predestined us to conform to the image of His Son, and He has commanded us to love one another as He has loved us.

To keep ourselves in God's love means to remain in His favor and fellowship and avoid anything that would grieve or quench His Spirit. It means obeying His commandments and keeping His word, for Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

In summary, we are called to persevere in our walk with the Lord. Both individually and as a church. We have been and are now running well in this race of life. Let us hear the words of Jesus to John in Revelation, in which Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia in chapter 3: vs. 11-13, “ ¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us heed the warnings and the examples that Jude has given us in this scripture passage, and let us contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Let us build ourselves up in our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, studying and obeying the word of God, and encouraging one another in love. Let us keep ourselves in the love of God, trusting in His mercy and grace, and looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Let us pray:

Lord, we thank you for your word that has spoken to our hearts today. We ask you to help us contend earnestly for the faith you have given us, and to resist this world's false teachings and ungodly influences. We pray that you would strengthen us in our most holy faith, and fill us with your Holy Spirit, your love, and your hope. We praise you for your mercy and grace, and we look forward to your coming again in glory. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.