PROCLAMATION
“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; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show
mercy, mixed with fear …” Jude 1:21-23
(NIV)
EXPLANATION
These words
were written by the apostle Jude, the brother of James and the half-brother of
Jesus who also called Thaddeus, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God
to all Christians. After introducing
himself, identifying his target audience, and greeting them, Jude states his
reasons for writing this epistle. (Jude 1:1-3)
He warned them that ungodly men had slipped in among the members of the
church in order to pervert the grace of God by denying Jesus, The Christ. (Jude
1:4) He reminds them of their history
and the punishment inflicted upon the false teachers and their followers. (Jude
1:5-7) He stated that even angels who turned
against God were punished. (Jude 1:6) Jude
describes these ungodly men and their activities, and the resultant apostasy,
the falling away from the faith. (Jude 1:8-16)
Then he exhorts and encourages them to persevere in the faith personally
and to help as many others as possible. (Jude 1:20-23) He ends the chapter with a very profound
doxology. (Jude 1:24-25)
APPLICATION
The message
in The Bible Book of Jude is clear. Unlike
the ungodly worldly men with their carnal focus, skeptical and critical nature,
unrepentant sinful behavior, and unbelieving doctrine, which is leading to
world destruction, as believers we are to pray frequently, read God’s Holy
Word, walk in the light, exercise our faith, demonstrate our love for one
another, be merciful and kind, and spread the gospel as part of a kingdom
building effort to win souls to Christ.
PROCLAMATION
“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; save others by snatching them from the fire …” Jude 1:21-23 (NIV)
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