1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 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.

JUDE 1:1-4 , (NIV)

4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

JUDE 1:1-4 , (NIV)

has 613 wordsand 25 verses

JUDE

Jude is a letter of exhortation and direct attack against to those who oppose Christian faith.This letter is written by Jude a call to be contend with the gospel.Sweetest introduction of all the books in the Bible and a powerful closing prayer as well.

In verse 1a…

The original name was Judas and because of negative connotations they make it Judah which means praise, Then makes it Jude so that there is no negative connotations. 

Jude carefully, respectfully and humbly introduced himself as SERVANT of Jesus Christ. He could introduce himself as half brother of Jesus but he did not.

Slaves – in Greek means somebody who is

willingly submitted to their masters. As if you are saying, here I am your servant, use me as you see fit.

2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

John 7:2-5 (NIV)

13  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 1:13-14 (NIV)

What happens from John 7 to Acts 12?

 ResurrectionAre we bondservants of Jesus?

Romans 6:16 -23 (NIV)

16  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16 -23 (NIV)

17  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:16 -23 (NIV)

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 

Romans 6:16 -23 (NIV)

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 

21  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of ? Those things result in death! 

Romans 6:16 -23 (NIV)

22   But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Formerly we were slaves of sin but now when we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord we become His servants and we must be slaves to Him or slaves of righteousness.

In verse 22…

Jesus makes us servants of Righteousness.We must be like Jesus, that is our goal.

Jude loves triad he loves the 3 words connected to its other,3 is a number of completion.

Jude 1:1b…“To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.”

CALLED

2 Timothy 1:9-12 (NIV)

9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.2 Timothy 1:9-12 (NIV)

12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

2 Timothy 1:9-12 (NIV)

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

LOVED

KEPT

He CALLED you because He LOVES you and because He loves He KEEPS you. If you are a Christian you are called, loved and kept by God.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

36 As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long;  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28-39(NIV)

Nothing could separate usfrom the love of God.

Christians are loved by God according to Jude. 

Jesus never leaves us. It is us who leave Jesus.

When things get rough always remember you are CALLED, LOVED and KEPT by God.

Another triad is Mercy, Peace and Love. If you are called, loved and kept then you have mercy, love and peace in abundance. If you are called, loved and kept Jude is expecting you to multiply mercy, love and peace.

In Jude 1:2…

If you are Christians we have one thing in common and that is we have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jude sees immediate danger, he sees the urgency of reminding them.

In Jude 1:3-4…

Jude wants the people around him to contend with their faith.

We have a great faith , a great Savior, that’s why we have to contend with our faith.

In Jude 1:3-4…

Jude says things that you are doing are contrary to what God wants us to do that’s why I must speak. It is my duty to speak the truth. False teachings are rising up and we must speak the truth. We must defend our faith.

How can we defend our faith?

 …by Knowing the TRUTH

In order to defend our FAITH, we must…

Study our bible.

In order to defend our FAITH, we must…

Meditate the Word of God.

In order to defend our FAITH, we must…

Grow personally with Christ.

Our personal relationship with Jesus is essential. We must remain united on the essentials, the basics of our faith found in the Bible.

Jude’s letter is about false teaching that is in the church and not from the outside. Jude reminded the people of God’s judgment to those who left their faith. We must be rooted in the Word of God. We must know the Word Of God. We must know what God wants us to do. True blessings is not about money, it is about living in the presence and power of God.

What are we going to do as being Called, Loved and Kept

by God?

You must be the servant.

What are we going to do as being Called, Loved and Kept

by God?

You must be humble.

What are we going to do as being Called, Loved and Kept

by God? You need to be reminded

of the Gospel.

What are we going to do as being Called, Loved and Kept

by God?

Love should be our motivation.

Sin brings death, sin destroys people, destroys relationships.

Jude loves the people and he loves Jesus.

Our job as a church is to be the light to those who are in darkness, a light to the world.

Speak the truth and live in the truth.

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'