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Have you ever studied the book of Jude?\u00a0 Do you know where it is located in the Bible?\u00a0 Who was Jude? \u00a0 Jude is a short, one chapter book, located just before the book of Revelation in the New Testament.\u00a0 It may not be a book you have ever studied or even been aware of.\u00a0 Jude was the brother of James and a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. (Also that would make him a half brother of Jesus, a son of Mary and Joseph.)\u00a0 The letter was believed to be written to congregations dispersed throughout the Roman empire around A.D. 65.\u00a0 Jude is warning those congregations of some of the ‘ungodly’ immoral men who had crept into the congregations and were ‘perverting’ the Word of God.\u00a0 He also gives the congregations instructions regarding the ungodly in their midst. \u00a0 \u00a0 Before we go further perhaps you should read the Scripture.\u00a0 Following is the book of Jude taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) translation: \u00a0 The\u00a0 Warnings of History to the Ungodly 1\u00a0[a]Jude, a\u00a0bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of\u00a0[b]James, To\u00a0those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and\u00a0kept for Jesus Christ:\u00a02\u00a0May mercy, peace, and love\u00a0be multiplied to you. \u00a0 3\u00a0Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our\u00a0common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you\u00a0contend earnestly for\u00a0the faith that was once for all\u00a0time\u00a0handed down to\u00a0the\u00a0[c]saints.\u00a04\u00a0For certain people have\u00a0crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand\u00a0[d]marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn\u00a0the grace of our God into\u00a0indecent behavior and\u00a0deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. \u00a0 5\u00a0Now I want to\u00a0remind you, though\u00a0you know everything once\u00a0and\u00a0for all, that\u00a0[e]the Lord,\u00a0after saving a people out of the land of Egypt,\u00a0[f]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.\u00a06\u00a0And\u00a0angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place,\u00a0these\u00a0He has\u00a0kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day,\u00a07\u00a0just as\u00a0Sodom and Gomorrah and the\u00a0cities around them, since they in the same way as these\u00a0angels\u00a0indulged in sexual perversion and\u00a0went after\u00a0[g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an\u00a0[h]example in undergoing the\u00a0punishment of eternal fire. \u00a0 8\u00a0Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming,\u00a0defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of\u00a0angelic[i]majesties.\u00a09\u00a0But\u00a0Michael\u00a0the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about\u00a0the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, \u201cThe Lord rebuke you!\u201d\u00a010\u00a0But\u00a0these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and\u00a0all the things that they know by instinct,\u00a0like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.\u00a011\u00a0Woe to them! For they have gone\u00a0the way of Cain, and for pay\u00a0[j]they have given themselves up to\u00a0the error of Balaam, and\u00a0perished in the rebellion of Korah.\u00a012\u00a0These are the ones who are\u00a0[k]hidden reefs\u00a0in your love feasts when they feast with you\u00a0without fear,\u00a0like shepherds\u00a0caring\u00a0only\u00a0for themselves;\u00a0clouds without water,\u00a0carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit,\u00a0[l]doubly dead,\u00a0uprooted;\u00a013\u00a0wild waves of the sea, churning up\u00a0their own shameful deeds like\u00a0dirty\u00a0foam; wandering stars,\u00a0for whom the\u00a0[m]gloom of darkness has been reserved forever. \u00a0 14\u00a0It was\u00a0also about these people\u00a0that\u00a0Enoch,\u00a0in the\u00a0seventh\u00a0generation\u00a0from Adam, prophesied, saying, \u201cBehold, the Lord has come with\u00a0[n]many thousands of His holy ones,\u00a015\u00a0to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which\u00a0ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.\u201d\u00a016\u00a0These are\u00a0grumblers, finding fault,\u00a0following after their\u00a0own\u00a0lusts;\u00a0[o]they speak\u00a0arrogantly, flattering people\u00a0for the sake of\u00a0gaining an\u00a0advantage. \u00a0 Keep Yourselves in the Love of God \u00a0 17\u00a0But you,\u00a0beloved,\u00a0ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by\u00a0the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a018\u00a0that they were saying to you, \u201cIn the last time there will be mockers,\u00a0following after their own ungodly lusts.\u201d\u00a019\u00a0These are the ones who cause divisions,\u00a0[p]worldly-minded,\u00a0[q]devoid of the Spirit.\u00a020\u00a0But you,\u00a0beloved,\u00a0building yourselves up on your most holy\u00a0faith,\u00a0praying in the Holy Spirit,\u00a021\u00a0keep yourselves in the love of God,\u00a0looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.\u00a022\u00a0And have mercy on some, who are doubting;\u00a023\u00a0save others,\u00a0snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear,\u00a0hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. \u00a0 24\u00a0Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to\u00a0make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with\u00a0great joy,\u00a025\u00a0to the\u00a0only\u00a0God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,\u00a0be\u00a0glory, majesty, dominion, and authority\u00a0before all time and now and\u00a0[r]forever. Amen. Footnotes \u00a0 Jude 1:1\u00a0Gr\u00a0Judas Jude 1:1\u00a0Or\u00a0Jacob Jude 1:3\u00a0Lit\u00a0holy ones; i.e., God\u2019s people Jude 1:4\u00a0Or\u00a0written about regarding this Jude 1:5\u00a0One early ms\u00a0Jesus Jude 1:5\u00a0Lit\u00a0the second time Jude 1:7\u00a0Lit\u00a0different; or\u00a0other flesh Jude 1:7\u00a0Or\u00a0example of eternal fire, in undergoing punishment Jude 1:8\u00a0Lit\u00a0glories Jude 1:11\u00a0Lit\u00a0they have poured themselves out Jude 1:12\u00a0Or\u00a0stains Jude 1:12\u00a0Lit\u00a0twice Jude 1:13\u00a0Or\u00a0netherworld gloom Jude 1:14\u00a0Lit\u00a0His holy ten thousands Jude 1:16\u00a0Lit\u00a0their mouth speaks Jude 1:19\u00a0Or\u00a0merely natural Jude 1:19\u00a0Lit\u00a0not having Jude 1:25\u00a0Lit\u00a0to all the ages \u00a0 I. How did Jude describe those he wrote to?\u00a0 What was his purpose in writing? He described them as Called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Jude was appealing to believer to contend earnestly for the faith.\u00a0 He said in verses 20-21 that they should ‘keep themselves in the love of God’. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14: He calls people through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 He calls people to gain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.In 1 Peter 2:9: One thing the called are to do is proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. \u00a0 II.\u00a0 The Ungodly Cause Divisions In verses 19 and 20, Jude reminds the believers that apostles had spoken beforehand that\u00a0 \u201cIn the last time there will be mockers,\u00a0following after their own ungodly lusts.\u201d\u00a019\u00a0These are the ones who cause divisions,\u00a0[p]worldly-minded,\u00a0[q]devoid of the Spirit.”\u00a0 In verse16 he says ”\u00a016\u00a0These are\u00a0grumblers, finding fault,\u00a0following after their\u00a0own\u00a0lusts;\u00a0[o]they speak\u00a0arrogantly, flattering people\u00a0for the sake of\u00a0gaining an advantage.” \u00a0 III.\u00a0 Why does Jude call the Congregation ‘Beloved’? Both Jews and Gentiles are called beloved because they become God\u2019s people whenthey\u2019re saved. God shows His love in that believers are called His children.Ephesians 5:1-2Therefore, the beloved are to walk\u2014live\u2014in love like Jesus did. \u00a0 IV. They turn \/ pervert God\u2019s grace (\u201ckindness . . . favor\u201d9) into licentiousness (\u201csensuality\u201d10; \u201cabsence of restraint\u201d 11), a license to sin. This a warning to believers about those around them. Titus 2:11-14Paul wrote to Titus that God\u2019s grace instructs \/ trains believers to deny \/ renounceungodliness and worldly desires \/ passions. The called, beloved, and kept are tolive sensibly \/ self-controlled, righteously, and godly because they belong to Him. \u00a0 V.\u00a0 They deny Jesus as Master and Lord. These deny Him as they live in licentiousness \/ sensuality. These persons claim salvation but live however they want. They might claim that God\u2019s grace covers their continued sin and that Jesus is their Savior, even though they live for themselves and not Him as Lord. If there is a life of licentiousness \/ sensuality and denial of Jesus as Master, then there is no true salvation. Only destruction awaits.\u00a0 Remember what happened in the 40 years in the wilderness and how the Israelites did not listen to God even after he brought them out of the wilderness.\u00a0 He ultimately allowed only those 20\u00a0 years or younger to enter the Promised Land.\u00a0 Only Caleb and Joshua who were older than 20 were allowed to go into the Land because they had believed God. God saved Israel out of Egypt, but those who didn\u2019t believe were destroyed.Angels who didn\u2019t keep their own domain (ESV\u2014stay within their own position ofauthority) are kept in eternal bonds \/ chains\u2014they won\u2019t stray again\u2014for judgment.Just as Sodom and Gomorrah \u201cin the same way as these \/ likewise\u201d\u2014maybe as the angels in verse 6\u2014went after strange flesh and are the example of punishment by eternal fire. \u00a0 VI. Jude reminded his readers of what the apostles said about mockers \/ scoffers. They follow their lusts and question the promise of Christ\u2019s second coming.And they don\u2019t realize that the flood was judgment on the ungodly\u2014a foreshadowing of coming judgment by fire.\u00a0 They cause divisions, are worldly minded and are devoid of the Spirit. God want us to LOVE each other, but not be drawn in by the ungodly and false teachers to their way of life.\u00a0 We are to save them by snatching them from the fire with the help of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. \u00a0 VII.\u00a0 If verse 23 is a warning to believers about being tempted to sin, how does verse 24 relate? God is able!!\u00a0 He\u2019s able to keep believers from stumbling.\u00a0 There\u2019s no reason to fear falling without recovery.\u00a0 There\u2019s no reason to fear the ungodly.\u00a0 He\u2019s able to make Christians stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. \u00a0 VIII.\u00a0 In Closing:\u00a0 Remember that\u00a0 God is the Savior through Jesus.\u00a0 Glory, majesty, dominion, and authority speak of His sovereignty.\u00a0 The time references show that He doesn\u2019t change.\u00a0 Always be prepared to defend your FAITH.\u00a0 \u00a0Be sober and alert.\u00a0 Guard your heart and your mind.\u00a0 Spread His Word to all. \u00a0 Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the World.\u00a0 Jesus is the only Way. \u00a0 Amen. \u00a0 Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of this page. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
The post The Book of Jude \u2013 Contend for the Faith<\/a> first appeared on <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever studied the book of Jude?\u00a0 Do you know where it is located in the Bible?\u00a0 Who was Jude? \u00a0 Jude is a short, one chapter book, located just before the book of Revelation in the New Testament.\u00a0 It may not be a book you have ever studied or even been aware of.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107084,138517,135962,138515,98309,138516,105797,138518,99164,138519,138520,138521],"tags":[2268,138522,3742,101474],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-307981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beliefs","category-beloved","category-bible-studies","category-biblical-teaching","category-blogs","category-christian-beliefs","category-christianity","category-congregation","category-faith","category-jude","category-punishment-2","category-ungodly","tag-book","tag-contend","tag-faith","tag-jude"],"yoast_head":"\n