"Jude" pt 1 - Be A Contender

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. — Jude 1-4

To be preserved by Christ is to be called, cleansed, and changed by grace—and then to fight for the faith against the false teaching that creeps in unnoticed.

A New Book and a Familiar Title

We have been on a long journey together through the New Testament here at Cross Connection, beginning back in November of 2008. Using Acts as a chronological timeline—the history book of the Bible—we have worked through the letters of the New Testament. Most of the New Testament is made up of epistles, letters written by apostles. We finished Acts some time ago and continue working through the remaining letters chronologically, which brings us to this small one-page book called Jude.

Five apostles wrote letters in the New Testament, and four of them open just as Jude does: "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ." The fifth, John, opens Revelation the same way. This is the most common self-designation the New Testament authors apply to themselves. The word is the Greek dulos, which means slave, often rendered "bond slave" or "bond servant"—servants by choice. They were not forced into this position; they chose to serve Jesus Christ.

Servanthood Is the Path to Greatness

Jesus taught that those who desire to be great in the kingdom of God ought to be servants. In Matthew 20:25 He called His disciples and said the rulers of the Gentiles lord their authority over others, "yet it shall not be so among you... whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave."

It is fascinating that the number one conversation topic among the disciples—at least when they thought Jesus wasn't listening—was who would be the greatest in the kingdom. It is so like us; I see it in my own children, just as I argued with my siblings over who was the favorite. What strikes me is that I might expect Jesus to rebuke that ambition as carnal. Instead He redirected it: if you want to become great in My kingdom, become a servant.

This is one of the values we lift up here—servant leadership. Even in the non-church world, the person with that mindset tends to excel. I recently picked up a book called Ego Is the Enemy, written by a man who is not a Christian at all, and even he says that the way to succeed is to take the position of a servant—though it goes against our nature, which is filled with ego.

Jesus not only taught this; He exemplified it. In Philippians, Paul writes that Jesus, though God, did not consider it strange to humble Himself, becoming a man and taking the position of a servant. Mark 10:45 captures the theme: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." On the night He was betrayed, He took a basin of water and washed His disciples' feet, then said in John 13:15, "I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." He is not commanding foot-washing ceremonies—I'm glad about that—but a pattern of service. Servanthood is the path to greatness.

This raises a simple question: in what ways am I serving God? There are plenty of opportunities on a Sunday morning—ushering, greeting, hospitality, slides, worship, children's ministry. But the bigger question is how I am serving God with my life: in my home, in my community, in my workplace. God wants us to be His servants wherever we go, not just on Sunday mornings.

Who Was Jude?

Jude says he is "a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." But who is this man? He is not spoken of in Acts; he simply wrote a small one-page letter that ends up as the next-to-last book of the New Testament.

Here it gets interesting. When I was teaching in Germany this past May, the translator kept rendering "James" as Jakobus—German for Jacob. I opened the app on my phone and, sure enough, in the original language it is not James but Jacob. Apparently King James, who commissioned a translation in the 17th century, wanted his name in the Bible, so every time you see "James" in the New Testament it is actually Jacob. And "Jude" is only the English softening of his real name, Judas—not the best name to have in the first century, for reasons the Gospels make clear.

So who is this Judas with a brother named Jacob? Mark 6:3 tells us. When Jesus returned to Nazareth, the people were amazed and said, "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses, and of Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" They were offended at Him. So Jude is the half brother of Jesus, writing this letter many years later, probably in the mid-60s A.D.

From Mockers to Bond Servants

This is remarkable. During the three and a half years Jesus ministered, His brothers did not believe in Him. John 7:5 says, "neither did His brethren believe in Him." They not only disbelieved—they mocked Him. Mark 3:21 tells us His own family went out to lay hold of Him, "for they said, He is out of His mind." His brothers held an intervention.

What changed James and Jude from mocking their half brother and thinking Him insane, into slaves by choice of Jesus Christ? I suggest what happened is that their half brother was crucified—and then rose from the dead. When they saw the crucified one alive and well, their minds changed. They became not just followers but bond servants, apostles, writers of inspired Scripture.

And here is one of the most beautiful things: neither James nor Jude mentions being the half brother of Jesus. What great humility. They say only that they are bond servants of Jesus Christ. There is no nepotism in the kingdom of God; you don't get in on the coattails of your brother, sister, mother, or father. Jude was no name-dropper.

Called, Sanctified, and Preserved

Why choose to be a slave of Jesus? Because He called us, He sanctifies us, and He will preserve us. Jude writes "to those who are called." If you are a Christian today, you are because God called you. This raises the long-running discussion in the church: are we Christians because God called us, or because we followed Him? Yes—both. God is sovereign, and He has also given us responsibility to follow Him.

The Scriptures pile up the truth of this calling. He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). He called us by His grace unto eternal glory (1 Peter 5:10). He called us not because of ethnic heritage but because He is good (Romans 9:24). He called us by the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2), with a holy calling, saving us by grace and not by works (2 Timothy 1). And since He called and justified us, He will glorify us (Romans 8). The kicker is Ephesians 4: we should walk worthy of that calling—we should own it.

Jude also writes to those "sanctified by God." To be sanctified means to be made clean or righteous—and notice, by God. You are not made clean by your good works, your church attendance, your service, or your giving. We are unworthy sinners whom He called out of darkness and made clean. We are sanctified by God the Father (Jude 1), by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16), by the sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10), and by the name of Jesus and the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:11). Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us and bore God's wrath against sin on the cross, so that the Father, by the working of the Spirit, can make us clean.

How does this happen practically? By the word of God. Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17), and Paul wrote that we are cleansed "by the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26). As you hear the word taught and read it on your own, the Spirit brings conviction; we confess our sin, and 1 John 1:9 promises that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Reading the Bible on your own is never ineffective—God is sanctifying you. Christians aren't perfect people; we are people being transformed by the Spirit of God. We are called and cleansed purely by God's grace, which means we have nothing to boast about.

Pickled in Christ

Jude also writes to those "preserved in Jesus Christ." In Romans 6 and Galatians, Paul speaks of being baptized into Jesus Christ. When we baptize someone in a pool or at the beach, we are only symbolically acknowledging what Jesus has already done. When you put your faith in Christ, you were baptized—not in water, but in Him.

The New Testament was written in Greek, and about 200 years before Jesus there lived a Greek poet, physician, and—I am not making this up—pickle-recipe writer named Nicander. In describing how to make pickles, he uses two words. First you bapto the cucumber—dip it quickly in boiling water. Then you baptizo it into a vinegar solution, where it remains. Bapto is temporary and quick; baptizo is a long process where the vegetable is left in the solution until the vinegar permeates it and brings about a permanent change of nature.

Why are we talking about pickles? Because it gives us insight into the New Testament word for baptism. When you become a Christian, you are baptizo in Christ. He is the element you abide and remain in, and as you are in Christ, His nature permeates you and brings about a permanent change—a change that, as Jude says, preserves you eternally. Jesus is an eternal preservative. We are preserved in and by Jesus Christ—not by church attendance or good works. So the question is simple: are you pickled by Jesus? Have you been in Christ by faith to the point where His nature is permeating and permanently changing you?

Mercy, Peace, and Love Multiplied

Like nearly every New Testament writer, Jude offers a salutation: "Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." I need mercy, peace, and love by a multiplied factor in my life—not only for me, but through me. As we abide in Christ, His mercy, peace, and love permeate us and overflow from us. This is the evidence of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, kindness. Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The challenging reality is that in 21st-century American culture, the last things Christians are often known for are mercy, peace, and love. That is terribly unfortunate, and it is an area where we have failed. We need to pray, "God, multiply Your mercy, peace, and love in me and through me." What attracted people to Jesus was mercy, peace, and love; what repulsed them from the Pharisees and Sadducees was condemnation. May these be the differentiating characteristics of this church.

A Letter He Did Not Plan to Write

Jude says in verse 3, "while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you." There is a time for encouragement, and there is equally a time for exhortation and rebuke. Jude set out to write one letter and ended up writing another. He wanted to encourage his brothers and sisters about their common salvation, but he found it necessary instead to stir them up to contend earnestly for the faith.

This highlights an important truth. Some look at the first-century church and imagine everything was wonderful. It wasn't. There was false teaching, sinful factions, divisions, and immorality—just as there are today. The church has never been perfect; God is perfecting us so that one day we will stand before Him as a bride without spot or blemish. If you came to Cross Connection thinking you'd found a perfect church, you ruined it—we are all imperfect people in need of God's grace.

Contend Earnestly for the Faith

"Contend earnestly" is one word in the original Greek, agonizomai, from which we get "agonize." You need to agonize for the faith, to fight for it. The preserved by faith in Christ must fight to preserve the faith.

Now, some of you are ready to say, "Yes, we must contend—especially today, against all the crazies out there, the wicked lifestyles, the political positions, the Supreme Court, the Democrats, the Republicans, whoever it is. They're coming for us." But notice: Jude doesn't tell us to guard against outsiders. Verse 4 says, "for certain men have crept in unnoticed." The greatest danger to the church is not outside legislation or court decisions or sinful lifestyles in the world; it comes from right within the walls of the church. Paul's final words to the Ephesian elders warned that "savage wolves" would rise up from among them.

Looking across 2,000 years of church history, the times the church has grown the most, flourished the greatest, and burned the brightest have been when outsiders came against it. So when I see our nation turning against Christians, I almost say, "Lord, bring it on," because persecution has a purifying, pressurizing effect that causes the church to expand. What is most destructive is what creeps in unnoticed.

The Stench of False Teaching

Consider methyl mercaptan. Few of you have heard of it, but you have all smelled it—it is the additive infused into natural gas. Natural gas is odorless and colorless, which makes it incredibly deadly. So companies add methyl mercaptan, which smells like rotten eggs and can be detected by more than 80 percent of people at one part per billion. It is placed there precisely because the gas itself gives no warning.

There is a noxious, deadly gas that can kill the church, and it comes from within, odorless and colorless. So God, through Jude and inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals its stench by giving us three marks to identify these false teachers. Verse 4 says they are ungodly men who (1) turn the grace of God into lewdness, (2) deny the only Lord God, and (3) deny our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark One: Turning Grace into License

God's grace is awesomely powerful—there is no salvation apart from it—yet because it is so potent, it can be taken advantage of. Just as splitting atoms produced astounding technology but also devastating bombs, the grace of God can be misused.

In Romans 6, Paul anticipates the abuse: "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid." Yet there have always been those who say, "It's okay to keep living that lifestyle; that's just who you are; your upbringing wasn't great, so I understand—keep doing it." That is not what grace says. Grace properly understood and applied transforms us. Titus 2:11-14 declares that "the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age... that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." Grace makes us zealous for good; misapplied grace tells people to stay the way they were.

Mark Two: Denying God's Rule

This noxious teaching leads to a rejection of God's rule in their lives. The temptation of sin is always, "You don't have to follow what God says; you can do what you want, and God will be gracious." But that temptation always leads to bondage. Read the book of Judges, where six or seven times Israel "did what was right in their own eyes," and twice "did evil in the sight of the Lord." So often what is right in my own eyes is evil in the sight of the Lord. Every single time in Judges, doing what was right in their own eyes was followed by bondage to the Philistines or the Midianites. The temptation says, "Do whatever you want; you don't need God's authority"—but it always ends in the burden and bondage of sin. The Greek word Jude uses for "Lord" is despotes, from which we get "despot," and I am here to tell you that our gracious God is a far better despot than sin.

Mark Three: Denying the Lordship of Jesus

This false teaching finally leads to a rejection of the lordship of Jesus Christ. The startling thing is that Jesus cannot be Savior without also being Lord. If you want Christ to save you from sin and death, He must also sit upon the throne of your life. I didn't invent this—Acts 2:36 says, "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." If He is received as Savior, He must also govern your life. He is Master, you are servant—and only in that place do we experience His preserving power and sanctifying grace.

The world needs to see, more than ever, a church transformed by the grace of God. For too long people have looked into the church and concluded that Christians are no different from anyone else, because false teaching like this noxious gas has mounted up and said, "Keep living that way; God is gracious; it's okay." And He is gracious—but the grace of God truly applied transforms us to be more like Jesus. When we are baptized in Him, His nature permeates ours, bringing about a transformation that is good and glorious. Oh, that God would transform us in that way.

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray that You would help us, that You would extend Your grace to us, and that we would experience Your transforming power in our lives. Jesus, help us to be more like You as we find ourselves in You; let Your nature come into us and transform us from the inside out, that we, taught by Your grace, would live in a way that brings honor to You. Though that lifestyle You've called us to may sometimes be a stumbling block to those who don't yet know You, I pray that we would continue to walk in Your grace and show off Your grace to those who don't yet know it. Make us more like You, Jesus. Help us stand boldly against this wickedness that creeps in and teaches us to deny and reject Your lordship and rule. Help us to be completely submitted to You as the Master over all that we are. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said amen.