Sermon Tone Analysis

Jude #2

Jude 1-16

Contend For the Faith

Last time we were introduced to the author of this letter we are looking out.

His name is Jude.

He is one of the many earthly siblings of Jesus.

He came from the household of Mary and Joseph.

They were all born in the natural way of course as a result of the marriage of Mary and Joseph.

Most likely they were all born in Nazareth.

Jude and James are the one we are most familiar with as leaders in the earthly church in Jerusalem.

Jude is like any preacher.

He would like to stand up and preach an exciting feel good message of praise.

He would like to praise Jesus. he would like to whip everyone into a frenzy and have them pat him on the back and say “way to preach preacher.”

But, we can’t always do that.

Sometimes we have to give an honest assessment of a difficult situation and even speak about an error or danger.

Jude writes “Although I was eager to write to you about the faith we share; I HAD to write and urge you to contend for the faith.

So, let’s begin this letter…

*READ 1-16*

Jude is asking us to get off the sidelines and get IN the game.

He is encouraging us that while we worship and sing of the goodness of God and our great salvation, things are not always good in the church and there are those who do damage to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And so that we know what we are getting into he tells us the state of the troops, state of affairs, states the accusations, and a little taste of reality.

So, troops, what does he say about those of us in the church?

!

*1.

State of the Troops*

In verse there, Jude recognizes a need to URGE the receivers of his letter, which is the church.

This word, /“urge”/ is /parakaleo = to call to one’s side, to come alongside.

/

The word was often used in describing a general coming alongside his troops to rally them to their stated purpose that they might experience victory.

So, General Jude starts by boosting the troop morale and reminding them who they are in Christ Jesus.

V1 says we are /Called, Loved, and Kept/

!! A. Called -

The word is /“kletos” = invited/

Romans 8:29-20 teaches us that God in his complete knowledge, always in the eternal now, knowing all things past present and future, in his foreknowledge those who are those his and have always been his, he predestined those to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

In order to be like Jesus, we had to be called out of the world and into light.

We had to be called to things that are higher than we are and so being called, God had to show the greatest display of his love …

!! B. Loved

The word is /agapeo = to take pleasure in; to love/

John 3:16 says /`God SO LOVED … that he gave his only Son/

Romans 5:8 says that /“God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were still sinners (dirty, ugly, unlovely), Christ died for us”/

1 John 3:16 /“this is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ laid down his life for us”/

1 John 4:10 /“this is love: not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”/

The only way for us to experience the blessing of God’s love, is for us to be IN CHRIST

Christ in you IS the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27)

In Christ we who are known, destined, called, are glorified so to get to the place of being glorified we must be

!! C. Kept

The word is /“tereo” = “to guard, to keep”/ what do you do with something you love, treasure, take pleasure in?

You protect it, you guard it

John 17:11 – Jesus prayed that the Father would protect his own

1 Peter 1:5 – we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that will be revealed

Psalm 138:8 – teaches us that we can be certain that our future is certain in God because he will finish it.

Eph 2:10 says we are his workmanship … and

1 Thes 5:24 says that he would called us is faithful to finish it.

Praise the Lord troops, we have been called, loved, and finished, the Gospel is about Jesus from faith to faith, from first to last it’s all about Jesus

So from that position of security and certainty … we need to be aware of the state of affairs

!

*2.

State of Affairs*

First

!! A. There Are Godless Among You

/“certain men have come”/ … in every generation throughout history satan has been at work.

He always comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

In every book of the Bible and in every generation in the last 2000 years there have been those who were among the fellowship of God’s people, and from that place of infiltration they seek to destroy from within.

Some even think they are doing the church a favor.

Jesus used the illustration of the enemy sneaking in to the Master’s fields to plant weeds among his wheat.

In this case the work of satan was evidenced in that they

!! B. Abused the Grace of God

Freedom is never free but always bears a responsibility and our loving God who died for all still expects us to respond in repentance, faith, and following.

Jesus said if any would come after him he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow him.(Luke

9:23)

But these “certain men” have perverted grace into a license

/“aselegia” = (ahs-el-gay-a) = self-abandonment /

Because of the grace of God, they felt they can do what they want.

But love demands allegiance and fidelity.

Love demands abandoning selfishness, NOT forgetting my responsibility and giving myself over to every thought and feeling that gratifies me.

The heart of the problem is their actions thus

!! C. Deny the Sovereign Rule of Christ as Lord

We cannot separate our salvation from the Lordship of Christ.

God doesn’t sell us fire insurance.

He redeems us, gives us salvation which comes with eternal life, for the purpose of us being his faithful followers.

What does Romans 10:9 say? /“if we confess that Jesus is Lord and Believe that God raised him from the dead we will be saved”/

We cannot separate believing from following his Lordship.

And we cannot follow without declaring him Lord.

It has always been God’s expectation.

And there have always been consequences for failure to believe and follow.

Jude reminds them that though they left Egypt, some were punished for unbelief.

He said there were angels who were banished from Heaven because they failed follow.

He reminds them of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Then he calls these infiltrators /“Dreamers”/ - a big long Greek word /“enypniazomai” (en-yoop-nee-ad-zom-ahee) = to dream, fantasize, be carried away”/

And herein lies the problem with so many infiltrators in the church.

They cannot simply rest in the truth of God.

They get carried away by their own fantasies and illusions.

They want the things of God and the word of God to make sense, and fit into their agenda, so the write of the things of the gospel that they don’t like or don’t measure up to their understanding or are otherwise unplatable

These infiltrators are described historically by Jude for his Jewish Audience

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*3.

Stated Accusations*

They

!! A. Took the Way of Cain – Gen 4

This means they worship their Own way instead of God’s way.

They determine that self will was greater than God’s way.

He expressed anger to God for having a standard up to which he must live.

Worse of all he rejected the need for redemption by blood.

But these infiltrators say we can come to God in any way and at any time as long as we are sincere.

Do you know what “sincere” means?

It come from two words that mean “without wax”.

It is a sculptors term meaning that there were no defects in the sculpture that had to be fixed with wax and covered over hoping no one would see.

ALL of OUR ways of salvation are imperfect and nothing more than patchwork wax over imperfections.