Jude 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Jude, or Judas, the brother of James, the half brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their father was Joseph, our Lord Jesus' Father is the LORD God in heaven. Mary was their earthly mother. James and Jude did not believe in Jesus until after the resurection of Jesus. This was evidence of his being God the Son. James became the head of the church in Jerusalem. His letter was one of the earliest New Testament books.
Jude, refers to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, doulos, a bond servant, one who gives himself to another's will.
This short epistle or letter was sent to those of the church. Who are the church? He describes them here.
sanctified - hagiazo
Those who are sanctified, set aside, holy unto the Lord for His service. Separated from profane things and dedicated to God.
preserved - tereo
Kept, reserved in Jesus Christ. The best place to be, and sealed, preserved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2 Cor 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
called - kletos
invited by God to receive eternal life through Christ Jesus.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Jude 1:2 Mercy unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied.
Jude starts with a greeting. He places mercy first, for we all have sinned, but have received mercy and grace in Christ Jesus. We are to have kindness and good will towards others in need.
Peace and love, be multiplied. These are the two evidences of the presence of Jesus Christ in our life. We need to multiply the good things of God as we submit to His will. These are fruit of His Spirit.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude has something burning in his heart, something that he must share with others who are in Christ Jesus. To those who share a common salvation in Christ Jesus. This letter is for you, a member of the body of Christ, that you might defend the faith which you have received. To defend the faith, we must know the basics of the faith and the way of salvation through Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
contender (contend) - dictionary: one that contends; especially : a competitor for a championship or high honor
The ancient Greek word translated contend comes from the athletic world - the wrestling mat. It is a strengthened form of the word meaning "to agonize." Contend speaks of hard and diligent work that continues until we are with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be zealous in bringing forth the good word and the good things of God so that others may find the great gift of eternal life. Listen again to Paul's words from God.
Phil 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
To contend is like being in a race or in a sports event such as the olympic games. We contend not for a prize or trophy here, but for the greatest of all prizes, to be with Jesus and to please him.
1 Cor 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Jesus is the way to God.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Before ordained to condemnation? The punishment for evil doers has been established through the law of sin and death. God knows all things, even those who will be his enemies. Judas Iscariot is an example.
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Paul speaks of vessels fitted to destruction
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Beware of ungodly men and women who claim to be with us, they crept in unawares. They came into the fellowship, but were not of Jesus. Is joining a church being a part of the fellowship? Jude gave the way earlier: called, sanctified in Jesus, preserved, spirit filled. A false one in a church can do much harm in sowing discord or teaching false doctrine.
John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
These are ungodly men, you shall know them by their fruits. Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
lascivious - absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness;
Not only do they behave as ungodly men, but they deny the LORD God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus means nothing to them.
Like a pig wallowing in mud they stagger into holy places and defile those who hear them with evil words.
Now not all who are in sin and degradation come to defile others in the church, some are seeking, we will know them for their meek behavior, there desire to repent. Those who come with evil intent are serving the devil.
Jude 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
They were with those saved from Egypt and slavery, but they were not of faith.
Num 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
This has been a verse of controversy. It ties in to the time of Noah.
Gen 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Sons of God, referred in the old testament to angels. How could fallen angels produce offspring with women? We do not know. I assume that certain men were demon possessed. The end result was a race of giants and the judgment of God. The angels responsible for this wickedness were chained in darkness and God destroyed the earth and it's people with a flood. Only Noah and his family were saved.
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Sexual sin was also the cause of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Homosexual perversion, yes the same sin that is being made lawful in our immoral nation that has turned from God. If God judged these nations, he will judge our nation, but not those who trust in him. As righteous Lot was spared, so shall his people escape God's judgment.
Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
They are sexually immoral, out of touch with reality, dreamers. They despise authority, speaking evil of dignitaries, probably the apostles of the church. Online, there are some like this who oppose Paul as an apostle and spokesman of God's truth.
They oppose the word of God, choosing only what they wish from the Bible and twisting scriptures for there own ideas, which is error.
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Michael would not accuse the devil, he said, The Lord rebuke thee. Yet, these false men are always accusing others. There are verses about not judging.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
The word of God is our judge
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
To speak the word of God, is to have the word judge, as a mirror, it is not our judging, but the mind of God.
Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
They speak with unbelief and ridicule about the things of God, for they do not have God's Spirit. They speak evil of things that they know not.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But what they know, they are described as brute beasts, for they corrupt themselves, even denying their conscience. They may claim to be educated. They may know science, physics, mathematics, but use these in an evil way, becoming fools to God. Morally corrupt, knowledge without wisdom. No understanding of God's purpose for them and no desire for the things of God.
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
They are headed for destruction! They are described as Cain, who would not listen to God and killed his brother, God's beloved Abel. These do not listen to God and desire to kill those of God through their anger. They practice religion, but not of faith. They do religious things, but not according to God's will.
2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Baalam was a prophet for money. He spoke words to destroy God's people. He was more interested in personal gain, than in the truth. He spoke truth followed by his own destructive word's to undermine God's people. He pretended to follow God, he prophesied, but his will was after his own covetousness, disobeying God's known will. Some say this is God's permissive will, when he allows us to go against his will. But, the end is sin and we are given over to our own choices, which may destroy our flesh and separate us from God.
Perished in the gainsaying of Core, or Korah, who rebelled against Moses, God's chosen leader. These do not respect the church or the pastors. They are wanting their own way, the way of the antichrist spirit. The way of rebellion and power from evil hearts. They are not of God, yet some may hold positions of authority in a church or of their own making. These certain men are as a cancer within the body of Christ.
Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
A Powerful description of the spirit of these men. When these kind come into our Christian rooms, I quote these verses. This is when all else fails. We are not out to advance our own ideas, but we are contending for the faith. They sneak in as if they were of us, but their words speak that they are not of Christ Jesus.
When they feast with you, they feed themselves and do not share. This is described in the Church at Corinth.
1 Cor 11:21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
Some people come hungry to a church pot luck, others with plenty are drunken with wine and do not share from their abundance. We are to share our abundance with those without.
Every one should hear the gospel truth, it is not debated, but received or rejected. To keep the unity, the spots are removed from our Internet chats and not allowed to speak within the church. These are blown in by ill winds, false spirits. They have no truth, the are dead as trees uprooted with no fruit. Raging waves, angrily foaming their own shame. Wandering stars, fallen angels direct them, they know their end is near, no truth, dwelling in blackness and darkness forever. We certainly do not want this!
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
This is when Jesus returns to earth. The book of Enoch, was written after Enoch was taken up. It is not considered an inspired book, however the book was well known and some parts contained truth.
Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Judgment will come on all unrepentant sinners.
Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
They have fruitless lives, are complainers, they complain about everything, the sermon, the color of the church carpet, they cannot be pleased or appeased. Grumblers who have smooth tongues to deceive, lying tongues to take advantage of the simple. Many words may persuade some, but only God's word has authority and truth. These certain men seek admiration and followers after their own wicked ways. The make disciples after themselves. They think they hear from God and some think they are equal with God.
Jude 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Mockers of God, walking after their own ungodly lusts. They will not hear the word of God about sin and repentance, or their favorite topic is "love" and self. The apostle Paul warned of this.
2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
Jude 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
They live by their senses, by the things they can see and touch, devoid of God's Spirit. They are carnal men, causing divisions.
Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
God will take care of these unruly men and women. We are to build ourselves up in the true and most holy faith. It is our responsibility to read God's word and to obey him. Praying in the Holy Ghost. This praying is deep from the heart in words or utterances if no words can be found.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Some will respond to love and compassion, with the word of truth.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Others need the preaching of hell and God's coming judgment. Some may be saved from fear of what is coming, many will ignore and accuse you of not having "love."
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jude ends with his letter pointing us to God, who is able to keep us from falling.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
We shall appear before God, in the righteousness of his son, we shall be faultless, covered by the blood of Jesus, our sins forgiven. This will be a time of unspeakable joy, being as he is in glory.
1 Pet 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen
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Phil 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1 Cor 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1 Cor 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Num 14:23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Gen 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
1 Cor 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1 Cor 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
2 Tim 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2 Tim 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2 Tim 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Tim 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2 Tim 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Jude 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
1 Cor 11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
2 Tim 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
1 Pet 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
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