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Jude
BC Weekly Digest Monday, May 8 2000 In this issue: Jude 1:16-19 Jude 1:17 Jude 1:17-19 Jude 1:20-25 Jude 1:20,21 Jude 1:22,23 Jude 1:24,25 Jude 1:16-19 Jude 1:16-19 (ASV) 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words]), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage. 17 But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit. Comments by Howard Justice *1:16 "These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words]), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage." These false brethren are murmurers, they are whisperers, they are those who spread misinformation called gossip. They are troublemakers. In many congregations there are those who constantly complain about almost anything. Either the sermon is too long or the seats are too hard or the temperature is too hot or too cool. They are never satisfied. If they were constructive, they could both contribute to and benefit from the service. But these people never seem to stop complaining. Many of them exaggerate most everything so that they make mountains out of a molehills, so to speak. They do this in many cases to excuse themselves by tearing down someone else. A hyper-critical, complaining attitude is an expression of arrogance. A discerning believer can see through the smokescreen, however. *1:17 "But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ." Jude encourages his readers to remember those true things taught by the Savior through the apostles. That is what matters, not the words of these pompous ingrates. Many congregations have such "discouragers" in their midst, but we are to ignore them. When I was a young boy, I saw a sign in a donut shop that read. "As you travel through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut, and not on the hole." Jude reminds us that Christ means more than everything else. Therefore, let us hear Him. *1:18 "That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts." This reference to the apostles' prophecy is intriguing. Perhaps this refers to 2 Peter 3:1-7 or 1 Timothy 4:1-4. Or Jude might be referring to this teaching in general. The Galatian and Corinthian churches had already experienced corruption of the truth, and Paul upbraided both congregations for being led astray. Later, in the Revelation to John, Jesus upbraids several of the seven churches of Asia Minor for having left their first love, for having rebellious members, etc. *1:19 "These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit." These men, who led precious souls astray by their great swelling words, also caused separations (divisions) in the local congregations. Why? Because they did not have the binding approval of the Holy Spirit. They appealed to the carnal desires of man, rather than the word of God. They were unspiritual, unauthorized men who claimed to be apostles, prophets or popular men among the brethren. Their tactics were to become "loved" or preferred over the faithful ones, in an attempt to sway others. Through their high-sounding words, flattery and religious patronage, they were dangerous, hidden rocks that could shipwreck the faith of God's children (1 Tim 1:19). For this, they can expect the harshest judgment from God, total banishment in an eternally burning hell. Howard Justice ------------------------------ Jude 1:17 Jude 1:17 "But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ." Comments by J Lee Roberts Scripture contains many predictions of future events. Through the prophet Isaiah God reminded His people that He knows the future and declares things before they take place (Isaiah 14:24; 42:9;46:10;48:5). Hundreds of events relating to Christ were foretold by the Old Testament prophets. In his defense Stephen said these prophets had announced beforehand Christ's coming, his betrayal and death (Acts 7:52). Paul states that these prophecies about Jesus have all been fulfilled (Acts 13:27-33). Luke records the words of Christ Himself when he tells his apostles that "everything that is written [of me] ... will be accomplished" (Luke 18:31-34;24:25-27,44-47). Jesus actually told his apostles in advance that all these things would happen to Him, but they would not understand until after His resurrection (Luke 24:6-8; John 13:19; 14:26,29).Jesus then reminded his apostles that it was to their advantage that He go away in order that the Holy Spirit could come to reveal to them all Truth and "things to come" (John 14:26; 16:6-13). Through the Holy Spirit this Truth was preached on Pentecost by the apostles and obeyed by the 3000 penitent listeners. These faithful followers continued in the apostles' teaching (Acts 2:33-43). In our text, Jude reminds his readers to heed what the apostles had taught and to remember their warnings about those who would reject the instructions of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints". J Lee Roberts ------------------------------ Jude 1:17-19 Jude 1:17-19 (ASV) 17 But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit. Comments by William Booth *1:17 "But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ." By calling them 'beloved', Jude is acknowledging a close relationship with these Christians and a concern for them out of love. He is asking them to 'remember' words spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since no specific passage is mentioned by Jude, he is evidently referring to the teachings of the apostles in general. Jude was inspired by the Holy Spirit and was given information, such as that concerning Moses (verse 9) and Enoch (verse 14). Some have questioned whether the book of Jude should be in our Bible because of his statements about Enoch and Moses which cannot be 'exactly' identified within the pages of Scripture. This objection is not valid, however, since inspired writers can provide additional information not included previously. *1:18 "That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts." One way to identify false teachers is to look at their fruits! They would be 'mockers'! Here the word mocker is used as a noun, being descriptive of the attitude of these false teachers. They would scoff at the true words of the apostles and even of the Lord, by declaring they were more knowledgeable, had greater wisdom, and their words were the truth. All of this would be accomplished for their own selfish desires, their own personal gain. This is a sad commentary on some in the church today. They depart from the truth of the Bible by changing the words and meanings to suit their own lustful desires. They make 'loose' translations and 'soft soap' the words within the pages of God's Word. Some so-called Bible translations even use profanity which they 'justify' by saying it is the language of people today. We must remember the words of God Himself in Isaiah 55:8,9 (ASV) "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 10:23 (ASV), "O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." We should use the Bible as our only guide, and believe it to be inspired of God, and the 'last Word' given by God to man. *1:19 These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit. Jude is reminding them that they should already have been prepared to identify these false teachers. Making divisions within the church facilitates all kinds of difficulties, dissension, hate, prejudice, caste separations, departures from the truth, following after men, and confusion. 'Sensual' means they exalt their own selfish interests and desires above everything and everyone else. It will usually be for personal gain, to place themselves in the 'chief seats'. These false teachers believed they were so exalted that they were above sin and could do whatever they desired; they were worldly and did not have the Holy Spirit. William Booth ------------------------------ Jude 1:20-25 Jude 1:20-25 (ASV) 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; 23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen. Comments by Howard Justice *1:20 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" Jude now turns the conversation toward these Christians by telling them that they were to be about the business of building up (edifying) each other. They were to be built upon their faith, which serves as the foundation of religion. He makes note that the building up requires a constant and sound prayer life. Without prayer, the troubles of this life would soon overwhelm each of us. This is why we are commanded to "pray without ceasing." Of course this does not mean, as some have erroneously indicated, that one is to go around constantly with his hands placed together and head bowed in a prayerful posture. It means that a Christian should develop an ongoing plan to talk with God each day, as many times as possible. *1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" Keeping oneself in the love of God presupposes that one is already there. That being the case, each Christian is to so conduct his life so that he can be assured that he still enjoys the good grace of God. This can only be accomplished by faithfully doing what God has commanded. When we have done that which He has commanded, we can have assurance that we are going to receive the promised eternal life with Christ in the hereafter (2 Timothy 4:8). *1:22 "And on some have mercy, who are in doubt" Regarding those "who are in doubt" the King James states: "making a difference." This seems to indicate that there are some whom we may know are simply mixed up regarding sin and remain sincere in searching for truth. To these, we are to show leniency, love and compassion in our attempts to save them. In Galatians 6:1-2, Paul tells us that we are to bear each other's burdens but that in doing so, we are to be well aware of the danger of losing ourselves in the same thing. Thus these brethren here in Jude were somewhat more deeply involved but could be turned toward the truth by love, kindness, compassion and sincerity. To this we must add the truth and nothing but the truth. *1:23 "And some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" Again, Jude makes another classification of those who are lost. In this case (which appears to be more involved than those of verse 22) they were to snatch them out of the fire. This fire was the all consuming fire of error that can sear one's mind to the point that he is irretrievably lost. On others all one can have is compassion because they are eternally lost and refuse to repent. What is inferred by the above passages is that there are varying degrees of departure into sin. All sin results in one's separation from God. But one can move so far away from God that it is extremely difficult to return. We need a full prayer life to restore ourselves with God's help. And just as we are to keep ourselves in the proper state, we are to also help those who have drifted from shore. Some have drifted farther than others and some, though we constantly see them, are so far adrift that we cannot help them. Though we are to love the precious souls, we are to show disgust toward the garment of sin that enwraps precious souls and causes them to be lost. Instead, we are to be clothed in His righteousness (Galatians 3:27). *1:24 "Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy" This reference is to our great and matchless Savior, Jesus, the Anointed One. He is able to keep us from stumbling as long as we follow His commandments (John 8:51,52). Because we are "kept" in the fold of God, we are able to use the forgiveness of God to wash away any blemish that we may pick up on our journey. This is the power of forgiveness that comes through prayer (1 John 1:9-10). Such ready forgiveness should make all Christians exceedingly joyful. *1:25 "To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen." It is God alone (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) who deserves the praises of men. Why? Because, having known from the beginning that many would turn away from God, He still chose to create man so that anyone who chose to love God would please God. Therefore, we have the opportunity and the power to become "sons of God" (John 1:12). Amen. Howard Justice ------------------------------ Jude 1:20,21 Jude 1:20,21 (ASV) 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Comments by William Booth *1:20 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" Jude now turns to the process of building them up, giving them confidence to overcome. He gives them two pieces of advice: (1) build up yourselves on your most holy faith, and (2) pray in the Holy Spirit. In various Scriptures, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John tell us to "put on" things, to "rejoice," to "pray often," "encourage one another," "be strong," "study," "sing praises," "exhort," etc. All of this and much more is for the benefit of growing stronger and being able to withstand the "fiery darts" of the evil one or his evil deceivers. Jude gives them hope, reminding them that not all is lost: "build yourselves up" and "pray" – talk to God. He will listen and the Holy Spirit, our comforter, will help. These things are all part of being a Christian – learning, growing, preaching and defending. Jude is an impressive writer, he gives them their first bit of encouragement by calling them 'brothers'. Not all is lost, there is hope, so build yourselves up and do not be deceived. *1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" Jude continues his encouragement by telling them to keep themselves in the love of God. In John 14:15 Jesus said, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." We show our love for God by our obedience to His word – not by superficially following a checklist, but by obeying out of love for God and His Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. He then says they can do this by looking to Jesus where there is mercy and eternal life. William Booth ------------------------------ Jude 1:22,23 Jude 1:22,23 (ASV) 22 And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; 23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Comments by William Booth *1:22,23 "And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Jesus said in John 13:34,35 "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jude is continuing his exhortations to his readers because of this 'love one another' commandment of the Lord. These false teachers have no love for the church as a whole, nor for its individual members. Some either have been swayed by the false teachers, or are being swayed. Here is the big test of the love Jesus referred to in John 13 (see also: John 15:12, 17; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; and 2 John 5). Even though some have turned or were turning, love was to be shown. Jude indicates that some are so far gone there is little hope for their return, but Jude says you must still have 'mercy' on them. There are others that you will be able to save, but you will have to do it quickly (snatch them out of the fire). Hating the garment spotted by the flesh refers to the sin which so easily besets us (Heb. 12:1), not the individual. Individuals are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Helping one another should be done out of love, with mercy and with fear (Gal. 6:1,2), and with care! William Booth ------------------------------ Jude 1:24,25 Jude 1:24,25 (ASV) 24 Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen. Comments by William Booth *1:24 "Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy" With a little discipline, you need to give some love; when there is a little bitterness, life needs to be sweetened with honey; and always move from sorrow to joy. This is the message between the lines in this wonderful letter to Jude. In the first 23 verses Jude seems to paint a picture of doom for his readers; but, not all is lost. As he has admonished his readers to keep themselves in the love of God in verse 21, he now gives the confidence they (and we) need – that God is able (and willing) to keep them from falling (as Jesus prayed in John 17:12-15). With just a few words he instills this confidence in them by reminding them of the cleansing blood of Jesus (Romans 7:1-7a) when he said, 'present you without blemish' (Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:22,23; 1 Peter 1:16-19; and 2 Peter 3:14). He also says, 'before the presence of his glory'. What was lost in the Garden of Eden, being in the presence of God, can now occur through Jesus. Because of Jesus' blood, making them (and us) spotless and blameless, we will be able to be in the presence of the glory of God. And then here comes the honey, 'with joy.' Oh what wonderful words (James 1:1-4) for a life of faithful endurance. The promise of forgiveness of sin, the removing of guilt, God's love exemplified through Jesus, a 'home prepared', no more tears, no more suffering (Revelation 22:1-7). Jude is telling them 'there is light at the end of the tunnel.' *1:25 "To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen." Even through all of Paul's imprisonments, beatings, sufferings, shipwrecks, life and death situations, he 'knew' of Jesus' promise for eternal life. In all of this, Paul could always find time to give God the glory. Jude tells them to remember from whence their salvation came – from God through Jesus! When Jesus was on the earth, he always did everything for the Glory of God. Jude is giving them confidence that they will conquer through the blood of Jesus, because of the love of God. That God is still in control, and will be in control, 'forever.' Amen – 'so be it!" William Booth