Jude — The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People, Perseverance
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
Just 25 verses long, Jude gets straight to the point, “certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (Jude 1:4). Once again, a New Testament author refers to the rich history of the Old Testament (from our perspective, of course), referring to the people delivered from bondage by God through Moses, who died in the wilderness; the destruction of the depraved Sodom and Gomorrah; Cain who killed Abel; Balaam’s donkey; and Korah’s rebellion. It’s Interesting to note that he begins with a reference to the people of Moses in v5 and ends with Korah’s attempted uprising against Moses in v11…stories they were likely to know well.
Jude goes on to identify these people in poignant ways: clouds without rain, trees twice dead, wild waves of the sea, wandering stars, “grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires” (v16). These are the people who are trying to tear the church apart (v19) in those days as well as in these days. Lord help us to beware of those who are coming to tear apart that which we are trying to build with your blessing. Help us identify those who fall into these traps and more importantly, keep us from being labeled as one of their company. It’s so easy to slip to the left or to the right, keep us on the straight and narrow path. Help us Lord to “be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire” (v22-23), show us how to do this without being stained by their actions.
One of my favorite benedictions, one that brings back many memories, is in the last two verses (1:24-25):
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
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NOTE: The NIV Study Bible introduction suggests Jude was a brother of Jesus since he refers to himself as “a brother of James” in Jude 1:1. Rather than a son of someone, the typical introduction, he presents himself as the brother of the prominent church leader (James). Interesting.