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Posts: 85958
Dec 24 06 10:23 PM
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Quote:I. Introduction (1:1-4). A. Letter written by Jude, brother of James (1:1). 1. In addition to Judas Iscariot there is another Judas among the 12 apostles. He is also called Thaddeaus (Luke 6:16, Matt. 10:3, Mark 3:1 . a. The writer of this letter does not call himself an apostle. b. He refers to the apostles in a way that indicates he was not one of them (1:17). 2. Jesus' brothers are "James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas" (Matt. 13:55). a. The apostle James was killed early in New Testament history (Acts 12:2). b. James, the brother of Jesus, became a believer after the resurrection, was prominent in the Jerusalem church, and the writer of the book of James. c. Jude or Judas, who was a brother of James, is the probable writer of this letter. 3. He calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ (1:1). a. He was also the half-brother of Jesus, if he is Judas, the brother of James. b. His recognition of Jesus as the son of Jehovah causes him to call himself the slave of Jesus (1:1). B. The letter is written to "them that are called" (1:1). 1. The called are loved of Jehovah and kept for Jesus (1:1) a. We are called by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). b. When we obey the commands of the gospel, we are beloved of Jehovah and kept for Jesus. c. The called (saved) are kept by Jesus according as they obey the terms of the new covenant. C. Jude prays mercy, peace and multiplied love for the called (1:2). D. Warning against false teachers (1:3-4). 1. Jude wrote of our common salvation (1:3). a. He connected salvation with "contending earnestly for the faith" (1:3). b. Contend as a combatant in a contest. Earnestly is added to show the intensive force of the contending (1:3). c. Contending earnestly indicates the importance of defending the faith and dangers to it (1:3). d. Jude says the faith "was once for all delivered to the saints" (1:3). A once for all delivered faith means no additional revelation after the 1st century. 2. Behavior of false teachers (1:4). a. They creep in (1:4). They "enter by the side," which means to insinuate oneself into, by stealth, to creep in stealthily. b. They creep in privily (1:4). Privily means secretly, covertly, as spies or traitors to accomplish the overthrow of faith (1:4) c. They were previously written of and will suffer the punishment Jude is about to describe (1:4). d. They are ungodly--without reverence for God--not merely irreligious, but acting in opposition to God's demands (1:4). e. They pretend that God is so good he will not punish sinners and "turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness." Lasciviousness means excess, absence of restraint, indecencies, wantonness, filthy like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The prominent idea is shameless conduct (1:4). f. They deny Jesus to avoid persecution (1:4). Moderns do this by refusing to speak up for Christ and the gospel when the truth is under attack.II. False Teachers and False Doctrine (1:5-23). A. Those who teach and follow error will be punished (1:5-7). 1. Jude reminds us that God destroyed the people he brought out of Egypt because they did not obey him (1:5). 2. Angels who rebelled are in confinement waiting the final judgment (1:6). a. We know little about this though it is also mentioned by Peter (2 Pet. 2:4). b. Speculation is useless. 3. Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of how God punishes the sinful (1:7). a. They gave themselves to fornication (1:7). b. They went after strange flesh (homosexuals) (1:7). c. They will suffer the punishment of eternal fire (1:7). B. The character of some false teachers (1:8-23). 1. They are in a deep spiritual sleep because of the intoxication of sin (1: . 2. They claim superior knowledge but defile their bodies like the people of Sodom (1: . 3. They reject authority (1: . 4. The conduct of Michael the archangel (1:9). a. Michael argued with the devil about the body of Moses (1:9). b. Michael would not continue to a meaningless argument, but deferred to the last judgment (1:9). 5. False teachers, unlike Michael, revile what they do not understand (1:10). a. What they do understand in their lusts (1:10). b. They are like animals, void of reason, and give themselves to unrestricted passion (1:10). c. In this they bring about their destruction (1:10). 6. They can be bought--woe unto them (1:11). a. They act like Cain who murdered his brother (1:11). b. They behave like Balaam who could be hired to try to circumvent the will of God (1:11). c. They are like Korah who loved wedges of gold more than God (1:11). 7. They are deceptive and insincere (1:12-13). a. They hypocritically participate in your love feasts (1:12). b. Instead of taking care of the sheep they feed themselves (1:12). c. Clouds that do not produce rain are a disappointment and belie their purpose (1:12). d. Trees that produce leaves but no fruit are worthless (1:12). e. These hypocrites are doubly dead and will be torn out by the roots (1:12). f. They are like waves of the sea that are lost in their own foam (1:13). g. They are wandering stars swallowed forever by black holes (1:13). 8. Enoch condemned such people (1:14-15). a. Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah (Gen. 5:24-29). b. Enoch saw the gathering cloud and warned the people that if they did not repent they would be destroyed (1:14). c. He warned that Jehovah would come against the wicked with a powerful, heavenly army (1:14). d. The ungodly who spoke against God would be punished (1:15). 9. False teachers murmur, complain and follow their lust (1:16). a. Their mouths speak great swelling words--they are glib and convincing (1:16). b. They show respect of persons for the sake of gain (1:16). 10. Remember our words (1:17-19). a. The apostles warned of these things (1:17). b. Mockers will come with mocking, and following after their own ungodly lusts (1:18, 2 Pet. 2:3). c. They divide, are like animals, and do not follow the leading of the Spirit through the gospel (1:19). 11. You must be different (1:20-23). a. Build yourself up by study and prayer (1:20). b. Keep yourself in the love of God (1:21). c. Look forward to the eternal reward (1:21). d. Have compassion on those who have sinned because of ignorance (1:22). e. Save others by snatching them out of the fire (1:23).III. Conclusion (1:24-25). A. Be faithful to God because he is able to save you and present you in joyful blamelessness before his glory (1:24). B. "To the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen" (1:25).
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