Called. Loved. Kept.
Barrett Case
Jude • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 45:13
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· 263 viewsOur opening sermon in our seies on Jude. We focus this morning on the introductory verses and what they mean for us.
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This morning, we get to do one of my very favorite things in the wide world; we get to turn to yet another book of the Bible and work our way through it together as a fellowship, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
In the time that I’ve been here in Rich Hill, we’ve studied the books of Matthew, Judges, Ruth, Amos, Daniel, Galatians, James, Philemon, and some of the Psalms on Sunday morning and another 10 books during Wednesday Night Bible Study.
That just leaves 47 books to go through—my hope, my prayer is that the Lord grants me enough years to preach and teach through all 66 books of the Bible at least once.
This morning, then, we get to turn to yet another book of the Bible and work through it together as a fellowship, as brothers and sisters in Christ. This marks the 20th book of the Bible we’ve studied together (if you’ve been here on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights). And, as always, I’m so excited to open God’s Word with you, to see what the Lord has to say to us.
>This morning, we being our study of Jude. Jude has been called “the most neglected book in the New Testament” and I think that’s probably right.
My guess is that very few of us have heard any sermons or Bible lessons from Jude. It’s a small, easy to pass over, chapter-less book (like Philemon, and 2nd and 3rd John and Obadiah).
What’s more, it’s a little weird. And a good chunk of it is very difficult. One of my very favorite preachers kind of copped-out when preaching through Jude. He said he would preach the first few verses and the last two verses, and leave it to his congregation to work out the middle verses.
We might decide that the guy’s on to something, leaving those verses in the middle alone. And yet, I have to believe there’s something there for us. It’ll be worth our time, to be sure. We will be blessed by our time in this short letter—because it’s God’s Word for us today.
Now, it would not be a waste of time to read through any book of the Bible in its entirety (I can think of very few things as beneficial as reading God’s Word). But time would not allow reading through most books of the Bible in their entirety, in one sitting, especially in the time we have allotted on a Sunday morning.
However, Jude (like Philemon) is short enough to afford us the opportunity to do just that. It will take less than 5 minutes to read through this short letter. So, if you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Jude (the second-to-last book of the Bible ). If you are able and willing to stand for the reading of God’s Word, this will take 5 minutes at most.
The eponymous letter of Jude, beginning with verse 1:
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
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.
5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
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.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of God’s Holy Word!
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The Jude who wrote Jude is actually named Ἰούδας (Judas), and this is a fairly common name. There are (at least) 4 men named Judas in the New Testament, and many more besides. Judas was a name closely related to one of Jacob’s sons, Judah, making it extremely popular among Jewish families of the day (Judas was, at least then, a lot better than Zebulun or Naphtali or Isaachar).
However, that rascal Judas Iscariot gave the name a bad name, a bad rap. Post-Judas Iscariot, the name Judas became much less popular. We’re not sure the reason why, but everyone agrees (all the Bible translators, commentators, historians, etc.) that though his name is technically and literally Judas, the man who wrote this letter is known as “Jude”.
We could spend a lot of time going through all the possible options—is it this Judas or that Judas?—or we can be content with identifying him outright. This Jude, the author of the letter, is Jude, the half-brother of Jesus.
We read in Matthew 13 about Jesus’ earthly family members:
55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Well, yes, Jesus’ brothers are named James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas—very common names. Mary and Joseph weren’t altogether creative it seems; that, or they were just going for good, strong, Biblical names.
Anyhow, what’s interesting about the letter Jude has written is that there’s no mention of his biological relationship to Jesus.
We are almost certain that the Jude who wrote this letter is Jesus’ half-brother. There is only one Jude in the New Testament who has a brother named James, and the two references to him make it clear that the two men were, along with Joseph and Simon, the half-bothers of Jesus and sons of Mary and Joseph.
And yet, how does Jude introduce himself to his readers (v. 1): Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
Jude makes no mention of his being related to Jesus. Don’t you think if you were Jesus’ half-brother and you were writing a letter to the Church that you’d probably play that up a bit? “Jude, the very special and most favorite brother of Jesus.”
Not so with either James or Jude. Both men, as they write their letters to the people of God, begin in the same way:
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
This is no doubt intentional. I’m sure they were proud of their biological connection to the promised Messiah, but what was most important to them was not their familial relationship; what was most important to them was their spiritual relationship.
Jude realizes that no one—not even he, the half-brother of Jesus—is exempt from the need to be converted. It doesn’t matter who you are or who your family is; you need a personal relationship with Jesus. You need to surrender your life to Jesus.
Neither Jude nor James nor anyone else gets a pass when it comes to believing in and belonging to Jesus by faith. It’s the only way to belong to the family of God—no one comes to the Father except through [Jesus].
What is most important is not belonging to Jesus’ earthly family by blood, but belonging to Jesus’ eternal family by faith in Him, on the basis of the blood He shed.
We know that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior during His earthly ministry. They didn’t believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be until after the resurrection. But they certainly came to faith in Jesus.
Faith in Jesus marked James and Jude. It’s what was most important in their lives. It’s how they chose to designate themselves. At a party or a job interview, they’d name-drop that they knew Jesus, but they didn’t mention that Jesus was their brother. They'd say, “Hey, I’m Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ.”
This is our most important identity, our primary identity. I’m Meghann’s husband. I’m Mike and Jan Case’s son. I’m the pastor of this wonderful church. I’m the guy who bails John Hough out of jail. All very important and significant identities, but none come even close to this:
“Hey, I’m Barrett, a servant of Jesus Christ.”
>Jude, after briefly introducing himself and magnifying the name of Jesus, turns his attention to his readers.
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
The group who initially received his letter is not specified. We don’t know if it’s a particular local church, or a group of Christians in a certain area. The assumption is that this letter was to make the rounds among those of the faith.
We know that Jude is writing to a group of Christians, by how he refers to them: to those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ...
Those who are called
Those who are called
How did you become a Christian?
Let me tell you how each and every person becomes a Christian: they are called.
I’m believe I’m called to full-time vocational ministry; I’ve given my life to it. I believe I’m called (you might doubt it from week-to-week). I believe I’m called to full-time vocational ministry. This calling was clarified when I was in High School and more so during my first few years of college.
But I was called by God at a young age. He drew me to Himself, pulled me from the muck and the mire and set my feet upon the Rock. He called me into a relationship with Himself when I was 7-8 years old. It was an irresistible, unmistakable call.
So it is with you. If you’re a Christian, if you belong to Christ by faith, it’s because He called you. You are one of those who have been called.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Christians are often referred to as people whom God has called. And this is an important starting-point for understanding this letter.
Every Christian has been called by God to be a Christian. A great truth about Israel in the Old Testament was that they, too, were called by God to be His people.
Jude here writes to Christians who stand in a line of succession which stretches back to God’s call of Abraham, through today, to a wonderful future in glory. Christians are the called people of God, inheriting the promises God made to Israel.
Loved in God the Father
Loved in God the Father
This is a foundational truth, not exactly groundbreaking. In fact, people joke that if a question is asked in Sunday School or church, there’s a pretty good chance the answer is one of the following: Jesus, God, love, or the Bible. If you don’t know, take a shot with one of those four answers, and you might just hit something.
Notice, that Jude is saying something more profound than that Christians are loved by God (though that is gloriously, wondrously true).
Jude says that Christians are loved in God the Father. It’s a perfect, passive, plural, participle meaning it’s a present and permanent love: literally, beloved in God.
We are loved by God and loved in God. So what? What’s it matter?
This is a wonderfully embracing promise of God’s love in an insecure world. Christians are loved by God and His love enfolds them. God’s love fails us not, protects us always, and strengthens us daily.
We could say, “Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.”
Kept for Jesus Christ
Kept for Jesus Christ
The word kept is the same part of speech as loved. It’s a perfect, passive, plural, participle, which is a grammar nerd’s way of saying: this is a past action with continual, ongoing results.
Being kept is a condition of the Christian life; it’s just part of what it means to be a Christian. Christians are kept for Jesus, kept by Jesus, kept in Jesus. It’s security, protection, perseverance.
God actively protects us in Jesus and will do so until Jesus returns.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
We are not promised wealth or fame or success in this life. Rather we are promised—no matter what—we are promised that God has not and will not let go of us.
Jude wants us to know that when we see churches flooded with wrong teaching about God, leaders making money out of peddling quacky/whacky religion, Jude wants us to know that Christ will keep a firm hold on His people.
An English Protestant who lived 400-500 years ago, the Puritan Thomas Manton, painted us a picture when he wrote: “Jesus Christ is the cabinet in which God’s jewels are kept.”
In Christ, we are ‘safe and secure from all alarms.’ There is nothing now to fear, for we who are in Him.
It is God who divinely keeps the believer safe, secure, and sheltered throughout life for the future coming of Jesus.
When I fear my faith will fail,
Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail,
He can hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold,
He will hold me fast;
For my love is often cold,
He must hold me fast.
I am precious in His sight,
He will hold me fast;
Those He saves are His delight.
He will hold me fast.
He’ll not let my soul be lost,
Christ will hold me fast;
Bought by Him at such a cost,
He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast,
He will hold me fast;
For my Savior loves me so,
He will hold me fast.
> Jude describes his Christian audience with three words—called, loved, kept. These words cover the duration of a Christian’s life:
We have been called: God’s gracious action in the past.
We are loved: God’s gracious attitude toward us in the present.
We are being kept: God’s gracious provision in Jesus of an unbreakable relationship with Him.
Jude wants his readers to know who they are, to know Whose they are. He greets them warmly, encouraging them so as to brace them for the rest of the letter; so as to brace them for what they are dealing with, for what they will have to deal with as they walk with Christ in the details of everyday life.
A movie that Meghann and I watch with regularity is “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It’s one of our favorites—yes, I said one of our favorites. I like a handful of chick-flicks. Wanna fight about it?
At one point in the movie, Tom Hanks’ character is giving business advice to Meg Ryan’s character. He writes to her in response to her mention that her business is in trouble, that she needs some help. His advice is, in part: “You're at war. 'It's not personal, it's business. It's not personal it's business.' Recite that to yourself every time you feel you're losing your nerve: 'It's not personal, it's business. It's not personal it's business.'
My advice for you, Christian? My advice is similar. Realize you’re at war. And repeat to yourself the truths of Jude 1: “I am called, loved, and kept. I am called, loved, and kept. I am called, loved, and kept. Recite that to yourself every time you feel worried, or abandoned, or hated, or persecuted. ‘I am called, loved, and kept’—keep this in mind as you face various trials; rehearse this when false teachers creep into the church preaching another gospel, rehearse this every day: ‘I am called, loved, and kept.’
2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.