If we parse the letter of Jude we would find he is addressing two groups of people. First he addresses the "Saints", his dear friends (beloved) as he calls them, and gives them some encouragment and instructions.
Second, he addresses the "Aints", the false brethren who are in the congregation teaching false doctrines. Today we want to camp out on the encouragments and instructions Jude gives to us as believers.
A hurried reading of the text could easily miss some of the meat of his message to saints. So, let's slow down and consider carefully his instructions to every believer. Note the imparative verbs he uses - contend, build up, pray, keep, be merciful, snatch, save, show mercy, and hate.
Verse 3: "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."
Verses 20-22: But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; 23. snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Pastor Dick's Video Clip Lectures Available on Monday, June 22
In the era of "Fake-News" we are very much aware of the difference between the genuine and the counterfeit. You can tell a rose it real by smelling it, touching it, and watching it wilt. You can tell a twenty dollar bill is genuine or counterfeit by using a yellow pen as sales people often do. One sure way to tell an apple is real is by picking it up and taking a bite. So it is in the church. Jesus said there will be many "Fake Christians." They look and act similar to genuine believers but they are not. They are just along for the ride and to gain a personal benefit.
Jude begins his letter to believers who he calls dear friends. They are the truly born again Christians that follow Chirst. He has seven words of instruction for them. The first is the most obvious in the early part of the letter. It is the command to "earnestly contend" for THE FAITH that was once for all entrusted to the saints. If we are to defend the Gospel we need to know what the Gospel is. Join us as we consider the whole Gospel.
Jude continues his instructions to believers toward the end of the letter in verses 20-23. We could easily overlook these important commandsbut they are as essential as the first command to earnestly contend for the faith. I will present a brief explanation of each but I want to encourage you to do the word studies provided in our document section and then discuss these commands and their meaning. Pay particular attentionto the command to "pray in the Holy Spirit" which is often misunderstood by many. Below we have links to great preachers like Francis Chan, John Piper,Martin Lloyd-Jones, Andrew Murray, and Adrian Rogers all speaking on this subject.
DOCUMENTS TO PRINT OUT Available Sunday, June 21
These are unedited documents and studies I use in my sermon preparation. They will enhance your study of the Word. Print them out and study them. This way we can give you much more than we can in our Videos or in our live classes.
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