| Jude 1-4 Readings Joshua 1, Revelation 9 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, v. 1 Jude, was the brother of James, the half brother of Jesus. This letter is not a "happy go lucky how you doing" type of letter. It is purposeful, the word in verse 3 for exhort or encourage is a military word used to give orders to an army. It is not just exhortation, but preparing an army for battle. Jude had written a motivational book, one that was intended to call Christians to arms, one intended to wake up the ones that Peter had addressed concerning the coming apostates. Today, we also need to wake up, to demand holiness in our churches and in our fellowships, cast out the apostates and cling to the Word of God as the only authority. "Lock and Load!" Jesus Christ is the leader or commander of our army, and the believers are the ones called. In the next few phrases, we are assured of our salvation, our calling and the security of our salvation. "To those who are called, beloved in God the Father" The Church of Christ, the called out ones, consists of Jews and Gentiles who are called by the Spirit of God to salvation. We have the unique privilege of being "in" God the Father. This is a hard concept to get across, other than using a fish as an example. The fish lives in the water, it surrounds him, and permeates his entire being. Everything that the fish does depends upon the water in which he lives. If the fish is taken out of the water, it will die. As believers we are immersed in God, He is in us, around us and permeates our entire being. We can't get out of God. Colossians 3:3 Once we are born again, our life is hidden in His life, and we are completely engulfed in Him. Just like the fish, we retain our identity, and just like the fish, we are completely surrounded and permeated by God. Unlike the fish, we make the decision to become fish. God has called the entire world to Himself, providing salvation for all, just the ones who answer the calling will be saved. "kept for Jesus Christ". Talk about eternal security! To validate this verse and the previous comments look at John 17:11-21. Also check out 1 Peter 1:3-5; John 10:28; Philippians 4:7 v. 2 Jude and Peter must have been comparing notes with this exhortation. Imagine mercy, peace and love being multiplied to the believers. 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Isaiah 53:4-5. First, let's address mercy and peace. As a righteous God, all men are doomed to go to hell to suffer the punishment for rejecting Gold and following Satan. Romans 8:7-8 makes it clear that we were not only separated from God, but were active enemies of God. By His mercy, we were brought near to God through Jesus, Isaiah 53:6, 11-12, Galatians 6:14-16. But what is "mercy"? It could also be translated as compassion, kindness or good will, showing a just God offering a reprieve to criminals. For an excellent illustration of what Mercy means, this word was used in Luke 10:37, regarding the good Samaritan, Luke 10:30-37. What about "peace", in the Greek, it is a freedom from worry, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word "shalom". For a quick study on this, look at John 14:27; 16:33; When the disciples were sure everything was in a state of meltdown, and the end was very near, John 20:19-21. Jesus did not bring peace to the world, Matthew 10:34. Jesus came to be our peace, Ephesians 2:14. So although He did not come to bring peace to the world as a whole, He did come to bring peace to His children, Philippians 4:7-9. The word for "love" here is "agape". We have discussed this at length, in short, this type of love is only imparted to us through Jesus Christ in our lives. In the flesh, this is impossible to manifest, since it originates with Jesus Christ and Him living His life through us. 1 Corinthians 13. v. 3 Jude had desired to write a letter which exhorted the believers in their common salvation, but in v. 4, there is a crisis at hand, false prophets, false believers or apostates have invaded the Church. With this in mind the first thing he does is to address the position of all believers. "I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that which you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." NASB. Although we are called to be believers, common builders of the body of Christ, we are also called to be warriors, just as in the days of Nehemiah 4:17-23. We need to be ready to exhort our brothers in the Lord, to build the Lord's temple, but we must also be ready for spiritual warfare. It is necessary to strap on our swords and our shields, to be ready to defend the faith that we believe in. Ephesians 6:10-17, Hebrews 4:12; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Jude is issuing a call to arms, a call to return to the faith which is based in Jesus our Lord. v. 4 The idea of people sneaking in to find ways to undermine a fellowship was not un-heard of. After the Jerusalem council, Paul was chased relentlessly by a group of men who were determined to undermine his ministry. Galatians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 11:13, 26. These men who had invaded had the purpose of deceiving the brethren. The purpose of introducing sensuality into the church, and stealing away the power of the Gospel, by drawing people away from Jesus Christ the Lord. I ask myself, why would men seek to undermine a ministry? It made a lot more sense in the early church than it does now. The early church which deviated from the law, and focused upon grace was contrary to the established Jewish system. In today's church, it is so distorted that the ones who lead the congregations astray may not have the focus that the first apostates had. It is kind of difficult, and up to the elders and leaders of the local church to insure that the truth spoken is in line with the Bible. In order to do this, it means that the church leaders must be deeply involved in the Bible themselves. Otherwise, they are part of the problem. "If we are not actively righteous, we become passively wicked." Your People Shall be My People, Don Finto, pg 179. Lord, open our eyes to Your truths that are revealed to us in Your word. I pray that each person on this study will actively take the time to build the word firmly into their lives, and into the lives of others. In Him, Joe Turner |
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| Indeed Jude calls the called to
contend - Epagonizomai from
Agonizomai to enter a contest:
contend in the gymnastic games; to contend with adversaries, fight; metaph.
to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers; to endeavour with
strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something. And what is worth fighting for? to contend for the faith - a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it. Jude felt compelled to give this exhortation - Parakaleo to call to one's side, call for, summon; to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.; from Para and Kaleo to call i.e. to name, by name akin to the base of Keleuo to command, to order from a primary kello (to urge on). Sometimes we walk away from the fight for the faith for a myriad of reasons - Jonah was guilty of this, feeling that God was not achieving in the situation what Jonah thought should take place. We should walk when the Lord says walk and until he bids us not to. As Joe quoted "if we are not actively righteous, we become passively wicked" and "part of the problem". Certainly something we would not want to ignore as Jonah attempted. We must remember to fight the good fight, making sure not one of our own counsel so as not to become like the very infiltrators Jude speaks. Lord help us to be obedient to your calling right where we are, knowing that such brings glory to God and that in so doing He brings all things to their rightful end, which can not be done in and of ourselves. We know your way is best - to you be the Glory! Selah. |
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| Jude 5-10 Readings Joshua 2, Revelation 10 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, v.5 One thing in this verse that stands out to me is the "once for all", this phrase is also used in v, 3 regarding faith which has been handed to the saints. Now Jude tells us that one other finished act was imparting knowledge to believers, once for all, we know all things. At first this sounds like a bold statement, but think about it, if the Holy Spirit is truly living in our lives at the moment of our salvation, then we really do possess all knowledge. It is up to us to be willing to allow the Spirit of God to use our lives in order to tap this knowledge. The Lord passed judgment upon those who did not believe Him. In the case of Egypt, He totally wiped out their army. He wiped out their crops, their food supply, water supply, made fun of all their gods, then took their first born. The cost of unbelief in the Lord is extremely high, especially if God is prompting a person to repentance. The case study of Egypt cast some interesting parallels to the Christian life. Both in 1 Corinthians 10 and Hebrews 3-4 we are taught valuable lessons regarding the Christian life and obedience to God, which is basically abiding in Christ. It is interesting to note that in Numbers 13-14, the children of Israel wanted to return to Egypt. Sometimes the easy way out looks more appealing than following God's plan. As a result of that decision, Israel wandered in the desert until all the adults died off before being allowed to enter the promised land. God demands obedience, from His people, and from the world, God destroyed the unbelieving Egyptians, as well as the unbelieving Hebrews. If God chose to destroy His own people, then surely the apostates did not stand a chance. 1 Corinthians 10:12 Jude follows this with two more examples of ones who went against God and lost, v. 6 the fallen angels, and v.7 Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter carried the same thought in 2 Peter 2:4-9. v.6 God did not hesitate to judge the angels that rebelled against Him by casting them out of heaven. Some of them are in chains, waiting for judgment day. There is a lot that has been made out of these verses in regard to angels and the flood, etc. I am not going to get into that, except to say that some of the fantastic theories of what happened prior to the flood was not because of angels, but because man chose not to follow the God that created him. Genesis 6:3-7. The angels in chains are awaiting judgment, God is a fair God, and did not zap them right away, but held them in order for them to be impartially judged. Paul alluded to this in 1 Corinthians 6:3. What would be the point of man judging the righteous angels who have never turned from God? It is interesting that hell was not created for man, but for the devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41. God also holds all of mankind in the waiting for judgment day, those who have accepted Him, will also stand judgment, but not for condemnation, but for rewards. v. 7 Sodom and Gomorrah is likened to the fallen angels. These men followed immorality, the word in the Greek is "ekporneuo" which means to engage in illicit sex, or fornication, or in sexual immorality. The root of this word is "pornea" where we get the word pornography. Putting the "pornea" into action as an lifestyle is the idea behind the word. The sin of the angels was not that much different, just as the fallen angels were outwardly rebellious toward God, men are rebellious toward God when they engage in sexual immorality. Jude says that the incineration of Sodom and Gomorrah was just an example of what hell will be like. Imagine, fire that was hot enough to consume an entire city, and the surrounding cities. Archaeologists have determined that the city used to exist at the southern end of the dead sea, and is now covered with water. The fire was so hot that it consumed the earth under the city as well, making it part of the dead sea. That same fire is reserved for those who are rebellious toward God. Today we have a lot of fools who think that this was a fairy tale, and it had never happened. Won't they be surprised when they are faced with a righteous God who already had set an example of what he thought of the sin of homosexuality. Romans 1:24-27. v. 8 Note that "in the same way" God will judge those who teach false doctrine. This means that if a person is teaching false doctrine, he is considered to be just like the rebellious angels, (the demons), and he is just like the homosexuals, and he is just like the world that God destroyed by the flood. This is not a good place to be. God already determined that they had sinned, and had cast severe judgment upon them. The false teacher, or apostate is standing on dangerous ground. The word "dreaming" establishes that they have set themselves up as their own authority. Genesis 3:5. Man interprets life by man, and not by God's truth. Imagine what Jude would have said to Sigmund Freud! Imagine, everything being motivated by sex. Talk about man judging life by himself. Psalm 12:1-4; Psalm 73:1-20. v. 9 Michael was an extremely powerful angel, and he did not try to wrestle with the devil. Rather, he called upon God for help. The devil is a very powerful foe, it is time that we draw upon our resources in order to defeat him. Our resources being the same one that Michael drew upon, Jesus Christ. As far as the battle over Moses' body, we only have Jude's account to rely upon, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit. In this we have a rare picture of the power of the enemy of God. We also have a picture of the power that is available to us through the blood of Jesus. v. 10 The rebellious have no idea what they are up against. They are dealing with a righteous God, and are bringing judgment upon themselves like they have never experienced before. As I think on this verse, one thing is obvious, these false teachers know that they are not walking in the truth. They are aware that something is screwy with their teaching, and that it does not align with the word of God. Ecclesiastes 8:11-17. In this call to arms, Jude is making us aware of who the enemy is. The preparation for battle is largely up to each believer. We have to determine that we are going to follow the Lord, to abide in the vine, and to allow Him to permeate our entire beings as we are called to do. To do this, a few practical things can be done, first, determine to get into the word daily. 1 Timothy 4:14. Also, determine to pray and spend time with the Lord. It is easy to play church, but how many actually are willing to take their swords off the wall, sharpen them, and spend time fencing with them? The Bible is a sword, one that can be used in guiding and directing our lives. Proper use of it prepares us for the battles, and through the Spirit of God directing us, we will be able to winnow out the false prophets that have permeated the church today. God has already judged those who are false teachers, they are standing on the brink of disaster, waiting for the righteous to come along and point out their error. As Solomon said, it is uncanny the way the unrighteous seem to prosper, but their day is coming. Lord, as we consider the false prophets, I ask that You will inspire each one of us, cause us to be diligent in our study of Your word, applying it daily to our lives. Teach each one of us the difference between truth and error. Thank You Lord. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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once and for all - in verse
3 the KJV reads "you should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints". The
word paradidomi used here means
to give over into one's power or use from
- and as translated by Robertsons reads without the
"and"
once
for all
delivered. In context of the
verse, Jude is speaking of faith pistis.
In verse 5 the KJV reads "though ye once
knew this" in relation to the this
that he is recalling to their remembrance which is that the Lord
having previously saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward
destroyed thosed that believed not. Jude, probably not so concerned with Egyptians or those whose hearts are hardened against the Lord, does strongly adjure the called against being given over to turning away from the faith, highmindedness, idolatry, and laciviousness. I'm not sure that hell was created for devils and angels alone, as the change might seem double-minded; which God isn't. Therefore any judgement upon the angels by Him would be impartial, so not having His mind I'm also not sure of the difference in his decision to hold rather than zap those traitors.  ekporneuw translated fornication in the KJV is a rather strong word because of the Ek. This addition to the word porneuw along with the reference to strange flesh is truly a connotation to (as described by Robertsons) horrible licentiousness, not simply with women not their wives or in other nations, but even unnatural uses (Romans 1:27) for which the very word "sodomy" is used (Genesis 19:4-11). The combination of ekproneauw is defined as to prostitute one's body to the lust of another; to give one's self to unlawful sexual intercourse; to commit fornication; metaph. to be given to idolatry, to worship idols; to permit one's self to be drawn away by another into idolatry. It comes from pernemi (to sell, akin to the base of (Piprasko to sell; of price, one into slavery; of the master to whom one is sold as a slave; metaph. sold under sin, entirely under the control of the love of sinning; of one bribed to give himself up wholly to another's will. Sounds like a very sick mind to me. Now if one is going to contrast this with the behaviour of the angels, for me now the picture gets a little clearer. Now these that Jude is speaking of in the church, not the simple mistaught teachers for whom a word of correction would go away, but those who knowingly seek to steal from the church body - these he refers to as dreamers who defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignataries. Dreamers comes from a word from which we derive Hypno - for hypnotism and such - Enupniazomai - to dream (divinely suggested) dreams, metaph., to be beguiled with sensual images and carried away to an impious course of conduct. These fools are self-deluded and carried away with the mental sickness of defiled flesh - a soul that is stained and contaminated with pollutants they actually seek after. They despise, reject and attempt to thwart dominion kuriotes, essentially the true Lordship. They blaspheme against it. In verse 10 we have a switch up of "know"s - "these speak evil of those things which they know Eido not, but what they know Epistamai naturally". Epistamai is to fix one's mind on what one is acquainted with, essentially. Lord, help us not to get caught up in head trips and off your course; help us to be trained on and led by you. _________________ In Whose I am & Whom I serve, Normzrib |
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| Jude 11-16 Readings Joshua 3, Revelation 11 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, v.11 Three illustrations are given to us in regard to the false prophets in this verse. "the way of Cain" He rebelled against God, seeking his own way and the fruit of his own hands rather than acknowledging that God was the one responsible for his providence. He was self sufficient, without a need for faith, Hebrews 11:4. It is a way of good works and false religion, one which is not based upon God, but rather upon man. "the error of Balaam" This is a gentile prophet who sought to use God for monetary gain. Numbers 23-24; Deuteronomy 234-5 He played the game by saying that he would not accept any money from the king, but in the end took what he could. He taught Balak how to defeat Israel through the use of sensuality and drew them into idolatry. Revelation 2:14 "perished in the rebellion of Korah" This story is found in Numbers 16. It seems that Korah was a layman who was a Levite. He took up the position of priesthood on himself without God calling him to it. Moses placed the entire situation before the Lord, and the Lord opened the ground under Korah and all of his kin, swallowing them up. Also the following day, a plague started in the land where rebellion sprung up with the people, and killed 14,700 people, before Aaron stood in the gap to stop the plague. Even then, the righteous stood in the gap between good and evil. In short his error was seeking a role of priesthood where God had not ordained him, challenging the authority of Moses. "Woe to them!" Woe to the ones who reject God's authority and take up their own, those who are traveling under their own power and not under God's power. Those who are using the ministry for selfish gains, and not to promote the kingdom of God. He does not appreciate the unfaithful. 12-13 Jude describes the men as empty, useless and as a danger to all Christians. They are obstacles in the way, their trees do not produce fruit, and are only concerned about their own selfish gains. The purity of the gospel is lost on them, they use it as a business, using it to gain an income, and to glorify themselves. All of us have heard stories about this happening in our society today. I constantly hear stories of ministers who have made it well financially. Taking up two and three offerings in their churches in order to draw the maximum from their bodies. (On an occasion, this is necessary, for example in my home church, a second offering is taken to cover an emergency that the church has recently encountered. Praise God, the situation is over 50 percent paid for in one month.) "hidden reefs", could also be translated as "stains or filthy spots". They appeared to be safe, but in reality they were waiting to shipwreck the congregation. From my past, I could point out men like this, well meaning, but bent on their own gain, and totally bent upon drawing the most from the people. The word for "feasts" could also be translated as "shepherding", in other words they are shepherding the people for false motives, caring for themselves. 14-15 Not much to comment on these verses, Jude made it quite clear. God is going to judge these who are using the Gospel to their own gain. Taking advantage of people only to pad their own pockets, and not to further the Kingdom of God. Enoch was one of the few men who went to be with the Lord without dying first. Genesis 5:18-24; Hebrews 11:5. Apparently Enoch wrote an apocryphal book, although the entire book was not inspired, parts of it were. Enoch basically said that the false prophets would get what was coming to them. 16 As a summary of what we have already discussed, this sums up the false prophets and their motives. One thing I want to point out, these are not necessarily pastors, they are teachers, leaders, counselors, and laymen. They are the people who make up the church, being involved in it at different levels. The higher up in the hierarchy that they exist, the more damage that they can do though. I have experienced many different "Christian" people who live by very unchristian standards. Ones who take advantage of being "Christian" in order to draw the most from other believers, often doing shoddy work, and charging higher prices for it. "Christian" counselors who draw in weak people, rather than helping them, they draw them out forever just to soak the insurance companies. This goes for other professions as well. It is time that we demand holiness and abandon these people, they are feeding upon the people of God like ravenous wolves. Some are in the pulpit, but most are integrated into every aspect of our churches and our fellowships. I'll get off my soapbox, didn't mean to run off on a tangent. The Word of God is alive, and applicable to our lives today. It is Saturday, I did most of the study yesterday, and am going stop editing it now. I have a few hours with my family before they will call me back to work. Lord, as we focus upon the apostates in the early church, I ask that each one of us will be given the gift of discernment so that we can aid righting the wrongs. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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Last changed: 09/17/08
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