146. Beginner Bible Course: The final New Testament letter of Jude

EPISDOE 146:   Simple Bible overview:  THE LETTER OF JUDE

Jude, our final letter. It's not final in terms of time. John's three little letters were later. So why is Jude put here at the end of the new Testament letters? I have a guess. It's the theme fight for the faith from Romans to third, John, we've been given the essentials of our faith, how to apply the salvation. Jesus brought to our 24 seven daily lives. I think maybe they put Jude here to give us a heads up. People contend for the faith delivered in these 20 previous letters. Dig in. Don't give up ground, grab the essentials with white knuckles and hang on.

1

00:00:47

We believe Jude like James was Jesus' little brother at the beginning of this letter. He calls himself a bond servant of Jesus. The Messiah I've never explained bond servants in scripture. Servants were like employees. They normally served an employer for a period of time, perhaps to pay off a debt. But when the time came to an end, they had an opportunity to say, I like this gig. I like my master. I want to stay on. So they'd asked the master, would you make me your bond servant your servant for life? If the master was so inclined, he would take the servant to a post and put a little hole through his ear lobe.

1

00:01:30

Perhaps an earing would be placed in that hole. It was a status symbol I have now intentionally joyfully chosen to become the permanent employee or servant of this benevolent master. Paul called himself a bond servant. James called himself a bond servant. As I recall, Peter called himself a bond servant. And now Jude says that I have intentionally joyfully made myself a permanent servant of Jesus. The Messiah Jude identifies his audience. This is to all those who are called and be loved and kept for the day of Jesus Christ.

1

00:02:13

That would be Jews and Gentiles in Jude's day. Plus all of you who have gone all in on Jesus and are listening to this today. In other words, this rumble to hang on to the essentials of faith is our battle. Jude says, God has given us salvation. He's bought us back through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift through all in faith in Jesus. Now we need to contend earnestly to hang on to that faith and hand it down to others. Jude then talks about the battle, the battle to hang on to our faith. Sometimes there's an all-out attack on it, but more often than not, that battle creeps in unnoticed.

1

00:02:58

It's I asked my students if they've heard of the frog in the kettle illustration, usually one or two have, but most of them haven't I ask a student who has to give the class, the illustration it's this. If you throw a frog into a pan of hot water, it will immediately leap out. But if you put a frog in a pan of Luke warm water, it will relax. And then if you ever so slowly add heat, the frog will relax even more and slowly over time, its body will adjust to the higher heat and it literally can get cooked. I've heard this can happen to people.

1

00:03:39

Who's hot tubs. Malfunction is well, Jude says be very careful not to be the frog in the kettle to slowly have our once handed down faith ripped from us. As we relax in our secular culture, he explains how that normally happens. People who turn God's free gift of salvation, his grace into a license for loose living. What do I mean by that? Well, the Jews who followed the apostle Paul around, they could answer that question. If salvation is a gift from God, by faith in Jesus alone, if you don't have to do anything, does that mean once you've received that grace, you can do anything.

1

00:04:25

Paul responded. You've got to be kidding me. In episode 23 on Noah, I gave an illustration of what grace meant. I'll summarize. My kids were encourageable. I sent them to bed without supper. An hour later, I knocked on their door. They tiptoed into the hall to find that I'd set up a pizza party out there, a pizza party in the hall for incorrigible brats. That's grace, my kids riches at daddy's expense. Can you imagine my kids after that pizza party standing there looking at each other, then they smile and say, how about it? Same time, same place tomorrow night.

1

00:05:07

What kind of kids would do that after receiving such grace from their daddy, trample that with terrible behavior, Jude says don't subtly slip into loose living just because you're saved by God's gift contend for Holy living, Jew dads don't deny our only master and Lord that's subtle to denying our master. And Lord is slowly slipping into a sense that we rather than he are in charge. Remember through acts and the new Testament letters. Jesus is our Messiah. That is our savior and our lowered.

1

00:05:47

Our master refusing to obey should be a dashboard light that flashes that something is desperately wrong. Let me repeat those items. Don't turn grace into a license for loose living and don't slip back into thinking you are in charge of your life. Not Jesus. Your master Jude then gets historical. He reminds his readers. What happened to the people of Israel. Those were God's chosen people in the old Testament they'd been delivered by God graciously. Then they subtly slipped into unbelief. And what happened? God took them out in the wilderness.

1

00:06:28

Jude then turns his attention toward teachers. Unfortunately, much of our battle is Christians fighting for the faith is done with religious teachers, false teachers. Jesus might call them wolves in sheep's clothing. So how can we identify a false teacher? Who's trying to erode our faith. Jude gives some characteristics. They reject authority. They're the authority like Cain. They don't listen to God. They try to improve on God's commands with their own ideas on what it means to follow God like Bay alum.

1

00:07:08

They are profits for hire for financial gain, like Cora who challenged Moses leadership. They challenged God's true. Teachers. Then Jude uses several word pictures to identify these false teachers eroding our once delivered faith. They're like hidden reefs that shipwreck us. Rainless clouds that make a lot of noise, but provide no moisture. Fruitless trees, foaming waves, stirring up what's on the bottom and wandering stars in the blackness of the sky. He gives a few more characteristics. They grumble find fault with Christians.

1

00:07:50

They live loosely. They're arrogant. They kiss up to get a following and mock those walking in obedient trust. They're divisive. So Jude like the movie patent standing in front of his troops on the stage, says ladies and gentlemen, children of God, fight back, contend, get ready to rumble. And how do we do that? By building our faith up with scripture, by praying in and for the fullness of the helper, the Holy spirit by abiding deeply in the daily love of God. And we are not to just do this for ourselves or our own families, but to do these things with others, brothers and sisters who are also slowly slip sliding away, Jude says snatch these folks from the fire or from the kettle they're being cooked in Jude ends with a benediction.

1

00:08:50

We win benediction. It's a dandy here. It is now unto him. Jesus, who is able to keep you from stumbling and make you to stand in the presence of his God, the father's glory blameless and with great joy to the only God, our savior through Jesus Christ, our Lord be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time now and forever. Amen. God's kids. We win. Hang on to the faith with that benediction. We leave the letters and enter our last new Testament book.

1

00:09:31

The revelation given to John, how our salvation brought about in Jesus is completed that salvation ain't over folks. God tells us what over is going to look like and what happens then. And we'll look at this exciting revelation given to John in our next two wordpictures.