Here are some short little thoughts by way of explanation and application taken from the epistle of Jude.
1:1
Families can serve the Lord together. Jude was the half brother of Jesus, and full brother of James, who led the church in Jerusalem. Let's pray that this year, families would come together serving the Lord.
1:2.
God never forgets His mercy, peace and love towards us. We have them from Him, and can have them day by day till we get to heaven
1:3
Being led by God is His will. Jude was intending to write about one important subject, but was compelled to write about something else. While Jude did not specify that the Lord was leading him to write about what he did, I believe it's there in the background. The Holy Spirit was leading Jude, and he was responding. May it be so Lord in our lives as well.
1:4
There is a real demonic enemy who creeps into the church from time to time. These enemies are in league with Satan himself, and they seek to pervert and destroy the work of God in the lives of christians. They take God's precious truth and twist it around to suit their own fleshly and ungodly desires and ways. O Lord, protect us from them.
1;5
Being reminded of what we know already is a common way for the Lord to encourage us. It's what Jude was doing here. His readers were well steeped in the truth of the OT stories, ( They aren't just stories of course, but records of God's dealings with Israel and others ) But, they knew these accounts, and were able to see the truths of these accounts applied in their situation currently. Lord, may we this coming year, grow in our knowledge of Your Word and be encouraged and built up in our faith.
1:6-7
God has and will judge the ungodly. We have a record of it right here in Jude. The Lord is the saviour at this time, but will be the judge in the days ahead when He returns to the earth. Oh Lord, save now we pray, and rescue the lost in our midst from the coming Judgement.
1:8-16
God explains in great and specific detail who these creepers into the church were, and what they were up to, and how they operated.
Try to count if you will the number of specifics that are given to us here about them. This is what is called ungodliness
1:17-25
Once again the memory is called to action. Simply, "remember the words spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" That's a reference to what we have by way of the NT today.
The NT is filled with Bible Prophecy about what was happening with these "creepers"
And, the NT is filled with encouragements about God's beloved as well. See if you can count up the many blessed exhortations and promises in the remaining verses in this letter, there are many of them.
Here's a sample......
1. You can be built up and made strong
2. You are beloved by God.
3. You have holy faith.
4. God will use and hear your prayers.
5. God loves you.
6. God's love is where He wants you to keep yourself. In His love
7. God has mercy.
8. God wants you to give you His mercy, and to look for it.
9. You now have eternal life ( union with God through Christ )
10. Be compassionate to the lost.
11. You are no longer headed to the lake of fire as are many today
12. God is able to keep and preserve you.
13. Jesus will present you one day to the Father.
14. May God receive all the glory in our lives.
There's actually more in those verses, but the sample above, was just that a sample. It's a rich section of Jude.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
