Calvary Baptist Church

Calvary Baptist Church, Grenada, MS

Holding to the truths embraced by Baptist for centuries.

Jude is one of the five one-chapter books in the Bible; the others being Obadiah, Philemon, II John and III John. Of the sixty-six books of the Bible many would be called booklets today. The longer ones such as Genesis, Leviticus, or Isaiah would make about an hundred or one hundred twenty-five page book. Jude would possibly make a four-page tract. The dividing of the books into chapters and verses is the work of men. The chaptering was done in 1250 by Cardinal Hugo: the versing by a printer, Robert Stephen in Paris, France in 1550.

Jude, as the other writers of letters in the New Testament, signs his name first. He writes under his name rather than over it. We do not know what Jude the author is. Jude is a name we meet several times in the New Testament; in the Old Testament it is Judas. Two named Jude or Judas were among the Apostles. There is the brother of Jesus, Judas called Barsabas, and Judas who incited an uprising in Galilee of whom Gamaliel speaks. The writer identifies himself by two statements; "servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (verse 1). If the James referred to here is the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, Jude would be the brother of the Lord Jesus. Neither Jude or James mentions this relationship, but both call themselves "servants" meaning bond slaves (bought, paid for and bound to him for life) of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the same term in referring to himself.

We do not know to whom Jude writes except in verse one he states "to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called". These three expressions characterize every saved person. If we can qualify in this class, he is writing to us. In II Thessalonians 2:13 "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth". John 17:17 "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." A saved person is "preserved by, in or for Jesus Christ". John 10:27-30 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one".

The third characteristic of the persons to whom Jude is writing is that of being "called". Romans 8:29-30 "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified." Galatians 1:15-16 "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood"; II Thessalonians 2:13-14 "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ". In introducing himself and identifying the recipients of the letter Jude shows his relationship to God and Jesus Christ and also shows much about the work of grace.

The benediction in verse 2 is similar to those given by Paul and Peter. Verse 2 "Mercy unto you and peace, and love be multiplied."

In verse three Jude states his determination to write and his original subject "gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation". "Common" here meaning possessed of all, not in the sense of being lowly. But in verses three and four Jude changes his purpose because there is a need to "exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 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." The "faith" refers to the doctrine or body of truth concerning Jesus Christ. "For" certain men crept in, slipped in by the side door, thieves in the house and he must give attention to them. The presence of these evil men among the saved becomes an urgent thing and Jude proceeds to give his attention to these evil men.

Verse four, the evil men are identified as "turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

Verses five, six and seven give three examples of other such men and God's dealing with them. Unbelieving Israelites who had been saved out of the land of Egypt were afterward destroyed because of their unbelief. "Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness into the judgment of the great day". The people of Sodom and Gomorrah "giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

In verse eight Jude further identifies the ungodly men with these terms "filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignities". 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".

The evil men are more bold than Michael, and speak evil of things they do not know and corrupt themselves in the things they know naturally.

The ungodly men have the combined evils of Cain, Balaam, and Core. Cain's way was to offer the fruit of the field or the fruit of his own labor and reject the blood sacrifice which was God's way. The error of Balaam was that of thinking to curse those whom God has blessed and seeking a reward for cursing them. The gainsaying of Core was that he denied that Moses and Aaron were the only ones to serve as priests. Core sought the priesthood himself.

In verses 12 and 13 Jude gives more about the characteristics of the evil men "spots in your feast of charity (love feasts), 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; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever". Jude tells how the church's love feasts are marred by the very presence and conduct of the evil men. The evil men have no life in them but are "twice dead".

In verses 14 and 15 Jude mentions Enoch's prophecy of them and the doom, which the Lord will execute, on them. "Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, 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." Notice how many times the word ungodly is used in one verse.

Verse sixteen is a last exposure of the character of the evil men "these are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lust; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage." They are flatterers so that they may gain something for themselves. It is important to know and

In verses seventeen through nineteen Jude calls their (and our) attention to the warning that the Apostles and Lord gave of these men. "How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts, these be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit". We have them with us today and in increased numbers.

"But" ye brethren build up yourselves, give heed to your own spiritual needs. If one is to fight, he needs to get himself ready, to stay alert. Verse twenty and twenty-one "But, ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life". The strength and power for the fight come from the Lord.

With such evil workers and with such warfare there will be casualties. These will need your attention and are to be dealt with differently. Verses 22 and 23 "and of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."

Verses 24 and 25 are the Doxology or Praise to God "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, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen."

A similar passage is found in II Peter 2:1-21, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingered not and their damnation slumbered not. For

if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished; But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of unclean-ness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots they are and blemished, sporting themselves with their own deceiving while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of cor-

ruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them".