2nd August 2026 : Jude v 17 - 25

Jude v 17 - 25

I'll be reading now from Jude 17 to 25.

But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk along to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons who are of division, not having the Spirit, but you, beloved, building yourself up on your own holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourself in the love of God, looking for mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, on some having compassion, making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To God our Saviour, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominance and power both now and forever. Amen.

Okay, should we pray and have a look at that? Praise the Lord. Praise your lovely name, Lord Jesus. We just invite you, Lord, to inhabit the word in the way that only you can so that it's like light flooding the pages and so the power of God enters our thoughts and deeper still into our whole body and soul and spirit so that we might rest in the word that speaks to us of faith and love in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Well, that passage at the end there, verse 17 to 25, is really the conclusions of what the apostle Jude wrote to the church. We don't know much about the apostle Jude, but I instantly like him. Here's some homework for you. Read from verse one and read it all. There's only one chapter, 25 verses. You can do that in a tea break. Come on, church, you know. And if you start right there at verse one where Jude introduces himself, think about it like this. Any letter is from someone. It's to someone. It's for something. It's because of something and then it has some conclusions at the end. And that's the letter.

All right, so let's go through that, shall we? Bit like a step-by-step guide. In verse one, Jude introduces himself. How did he introduce himself? Did he say, take a look, everyone, I'm the big man, you know, I'm in charge and all that stuff. He didn't even introduce himself as an apostle, even though he was. He had a right to do that, but he didn't. All he did was introduce himself as the bondservant of Jesus Christ. The bondservant.

You know, I'm not really any good at Greek. I don't know if any of you are, but it's not a nice language. I just don't remember it. just doesn't stay with me. But there's one word I do remember, and it's this one for bondservant, and it's the Greek word doulos. And that means a love slave. A love slave of Jesus. How about that?

Jude, a love slave of Jesus. He doesn't introduce himself in any greater depth than that. I love him straight away. I want to read some more, don't you? A very humble person. But who's it to? Still in verse 1. Take a look. There are three things to notice. First of all, to those who are called. And then to those who are sanctified, if you read in the New International Version, it will say to those who are loved. And then it says, and those who are kept. Isn't that beautiful?

Remember what Jesus said in the Gospels, all that my Father gives to me shall come to me, and of all of those I shall lose none of them, they are kept. All right, let's go through that a little minute just to encourage you.

First of all, those who are called, did God call you? That's the important thing. Are you His? You see, when Josephine got up and gave a testimony, she said someone told her right there and then that day, the Spirit of the Lord came upon her with power and they said, you will never be the same again. Why? Because she's His. And, you know, if the Lord has come upon you and you are changed because of his incoming and indwelling, you are His. You are called. It's because He called you. Don't ever think that salvation comes from us. Salvation belongs to God. He must come down to us. We can never go up to Him.

All right, so He calls and then He loves. Do you know why? I'd be interested to hear the answer because I don't know. Why does God love me? Why did He call me? You may ask the same questions, but know this. This is the important thing, that you can now rejoice and be at peace and rest in the knowledge, a heart knowledge, not just a head knowledge. Remember you're His. That knowledge, I am loved by God. Say it to yourself, thank you, somebody said Amen. You know, say it to yourself, it'll do you good. I am loved of God.

And later on as we look at our reading, that passage which Hannah read, you'll see that Jude speaks to the beloved. He starts his sentences with those words more than once, didn't he? But you, beloved, different for you because God loves you. And then we're kept. So that's who it's from.

Quite a lot of information there, isn't there? That's just who it's from. And of course, who it was to. And then he goes down into verse 3 and verse 4, but particularly in verse 3, he begins his verse there and he addresses them. Beloved, those who are loved by God, listen to this. Those who are loved by God, read that. Get it into your system. He expresses his concern, the purpose of the letter. What's his concern? And it's all the stuff that's going on in the world. And some people get really high on that, don't they? This is wrong and that's wrong and it's the Prime Minister's fault. It's always somebody in charge that's got to carry the car, isn't it? No matter who it is. Hallelujah.

But actually, Jude didn't write that. He was talking about spiritual things. It was talking about false teachers, false prophets. It was talking about a false gospel, something that does not correspond with the word of God. It does not correspond to the grace and mercy of God. It's selfish in its design. Wherever you see that, you know it's not from God. Anything that's manipulative or coercive, that's not from the Holy Spirit, that's from the devil. That's a characteristic of the devil, manipulation, control.

There's a difference between love and control. God's love is inviting and embracing. Control is different and you are not your own. One is from God, one is from the devil. And Jude was really concerned about all that stuff, what's going on.

And his passion and his desire, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was for the true gospel and for the true church. There is a false church, there is a false gospel. There is a true church, there's a true gospel. That's the way it would be to the end. A bit like the parable of the wheats and the tares. Remember that? They grow up together to the end and then the harvest. God knows that, God's in control. So I don't get high on that, but I am conscious of it. Are you? Are you conscious of that? Because you're the called, you're the loved, you're the kept. This is the true church, praise God.

And he expresses his concern there and then. He expresses his reason also, which is this in verse 3. I found it necessary. I found it necessary. I find it necessary today because the Lord gave me this word. I find it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith. To contend earnestly for the faith. Don't just let things go. Don't be compromised. Don't accommodate. Contend for the faith. And that's where Jude was heading.

And you can read the bit in between. Again, that's your homework, isn't it? From verse 5 to verse 17, gives you kind of the content or what's wrong and who's wrong and examples of it. That's quite easy reading, but it's not very cheerful. And then you get to verse 17. And really what the apostle does there at the end of the letter, he explains and he answers that question. Well, how do I contend? How does anybody contend for the faith? I understand what he said. I know I'm called and loved and sanctified by God, but what do I do?

Well, here's the answer. All right, this is a big how-to from verse 17 onwards. You, beloved, remember, remember. It's one of the things the Lord calls us to do at the communion table, isn't it? Do this in remembrance of me. Don't forget what I've done for you. Don't forget the power in the blood. Okay. But you, beloved, remember those words that were spoken, who by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. They met them, they heard them.

I don't know who these folks were, but God bless them. But even they were capable of falling into a sea of forgetfulness, of drifting along in the world as if things didn't matter and becoming almost indiscernible from the people of the world. When God's people get like that, he does something about it. He does. It will stop you in your tracks and it can hurt. Remember. Don't forget, alright, and hold on to. That's what. remembering means.

And he goes on in verse 18, he told you in the last days there'll be mockers and they'll walk according to their own of godly lusts, sensual persons who cause divisions. You know what a division is, don't you? Somebody moaning, somebody grumbling, somebody not really testifying about the grace of God. They're just complaining and you think, oh, what a drag. I don't want to listen to that do you? It's like coming out of the house and finding your car's got a flat tyre. It's no good, you're not going anywhere. It causes division.

Think of why else does the apostles write to the churches in the New Testament and say, speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, bless each other, fellowship with each other. Never mind that other stuff. That's all from the world, that. That's all the devil's talk. Mark them well that cause divisions and pray earnestly for them. But if they become a problem, I guess a few folks have to gather around them and say, look, you're not speaking from the Lord. It's all wrong. We really need to pray for you and see what response you get.

But hallelujah, we move on to verse 20. But you, beloved, keep seeing that phrase, don't we? You, beloved, you, you, you. You're the beloved. Build yourselves up in your most holy faith. How do you do it? It's actually not hard. It's not rocket science. You know, I find it fascinating. So many Christians don't really spend any time with God. They go to church, but they're not really conscious of the Lord and His presence on a day-to-day basis, and they get lost in other stuff. They don't spend time, what we call the quiet time, you can call it what time you want, but it's a time with the Word of God every day.

Do you spend time with the scriptures every day? You see, just reading through the Bible every day, coming through the eye gate is God's Word. and that will contrast sharply with things that come in through the ear gate from the world. That makes sense? You're ingesting, that's a big word, isn't it? Where did that come from? It's getting into your system, the word of God gradually, daily, and then you start to pray it. Do you do that? I do that. Sometimes I see a verse, it's just one verse or one line, and I pray it out loud, Lord, I want that, do that. I want that experience or something like that. You're praying with the word of God and that takes us on to the next bit, praying in the Holy Spirit.

This is inspired by the Holy Spirit, the word of God, isn't it? Caused and inspired. You pray with that word, you're praying powerfully in the spirit. Pray in other languages, fine, yeah, you do that as well. I'm praying with my mind, I'll pray with my spirit. But it's the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that matters, that you are praying whilst you have the fellowship of his presence and his blessing. That's what it really means to be in relationship, a love relationship with Jesus. Are you called? Are you loved? Are you kept?

Beloved, this is now for you. All right. And this is how to, this is how we contend. We come out from them in a sense, and we become different people, never the same again. And keep yourselves in the love of God. That's a funny thing to say, you know, how do you keep yourself in love? What is it? It's hard to define love, isn't it? You think about your husbands or your wives or your mums or your dads, why do I love them? And there'll be tons of things you can say and in the end you'll say, I just don't know. I just love them. And it's lovely, isn't it? But keep yourself in that love of God. You might not be able to explain why he loves you or why you love him. But the scripture does, the scripture tells us plainly, it's not that we first loved him. He first loved us. And we love because he first loved us.

It's a response, isn't it? It's a response. I am changed. I will not be the same. I will not be the same again. I am changed and I love because I am loved. It's a response. Keep yourself there and keep responding. It's not a one-off experience. Keep responding daily and you'll find yourself a much more powerful Christian and praying in the spirit more frequently and powerfully. And this is Jude's. This is Jude's concern that you contend for the faith because there are powers and pressures all around us every day, lots of voices, but they're not all from God. And to live with faith and in faith amongst that is a challenge. Christian life's not easy. Keep yourself there and look for the mercy. Look for the mercy.

A lot of people look for negative things or they look to find what's wrong. Working as I did in the industry I did, I was always looking for what's wrong. You had to, you had to look for faults. Just in case jobs went out to customers and they were wrong, they wouldn't deal with you again. You're looking for things that are wrong and it's fascinating really because you're only trying to do a good job. Do you do a job like that? Looking for things that are wrong.

But it's a funny thing because the scripture says, look for mercy. It's a different experience entirely to be in Christ and in the fellowship of the Spirit. You're looking for his mercy. Where can I find expressions of his mercy? When I meet another Christian, I'm looking for how God is blessing them and looking how God is gifting them. If God is gifting somebody, let's have it here. We need all the gifts, don't we? Thank you. And if you come to the Lord and you're seeking his presence and will for your life, he will gift you and you will become an asset. We need all those assets in. So look for mercy.

Then it goes on to our relationship with the outside from verse 22. Don't condemn anyone. Don't judge anyone. It says look upon them with compassion, but don't accommodate them. Don't get drawn in with them. Remember you're in the world, but you're not of the world. You are the beloved. That's what the scripture calls you. That wasn't my idea. That was God's idea. He calls you beloved. You need to take on board your belovedness. Could have been a song, couldn't it?

All right, he calls you beloved. And so we look upon them with compassion, but we make a distinction and we don't get involved with the sins and we don't get, you know, 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 16, it says, avoid godless chatter. Avoid godless chatter. I think that's the New International, actually not my Bible, but it says avoid vain babbling. Godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly themselves. You see how people get drawn in, even Christians. There's a few jokes, there's a little bit of flippancy, it's not too vulgar and there you are enjoying yourself. And before you know where you are, you're in it. God forbid it. Avoid godless chatter.

When you go out there into the world, you'll be challenged every day. And this is the challenge, to have compassion, to engage, not to withdraw, to engage, but don't accommodate. You are the beloved and you keep yourselves in the love of God and you hate even the garments that are stained by flesh, stained by sin. Never give your approval or confirmation to sin. God never ignores sin. As I've said before, if you sin and you confess it, God says, I forgive you.

Oh Lord, hello. I've sinned, I know. Forgive me, I do. All right, but he doesn't ignore it. And people who try to hide it, he can see it. And people who contain it, he will do something about it. And that's the way it can finish for some people. And that's why we need to have compassion on them, beloved, and remember this.

These final words, these are just beautiful, aren't they? Reading scripture like this, it's just such a pleasure. To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling. That means God will keep me. I don't depend on me. I depend on Him. God keeps me. God will look after Roger. Is God looking after you? Should be a resounding Amen to that. He's going to present me faultless. Verse 24. Is He going to present you faultless? Thank you. Before the presence of his glory. With what? with joy.

Not misery, is it? Being a Christian is not a miserable experience, is it? Exceeding joy, exceeding joy. And so to God be the glory. He's wise, He's got the majesty, He's got the power forever and ever. And this is not just my Amen, it's not just His Amen, it's yours. Keep yourself in the love of God. That is the answer.

When the apostle Jude said, I would that you contend for the faith and you say, well, how do I do it? Now you know, don't you? All right, let's pray together. God bless you. Thank you for listening.

Lord. Thank you for speaking to us. Thank you for Jude. Thank you, Lord, for his apostleship. Bless him. Lord, bless the word, bless the word to us. May it be carried away with us in our hearts. This letter is to us. This letter is ours now. Lord, as we embrace these words and as we embrace your scriptures and we fellowship in the Spirit, Lord, refresh us, encourages, remind us, take us, even more, if possible, into the love of God in Christ Jesus, that we might know you, worship you, and become those powerful people that prophesy in Your name. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Amen.