Sunday, May 24, 2009

New Testament survey (26): Jude

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 3)

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 20-25)

Overview

[1] Jude, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3), The Amazing, Alarming, and Awful Apostasy (PDF), What Can Believers Do in Days of Apostasy (PDF)

The theme of the book is assurance in days of apostasy. Jude picked up the pen of inspiration to write on some theme or truth concerning the gospel and our salvation. He could have chosen the subject of justification by faith, but Paul had written on that in Romans. He could have chosen the resurrection of Christ, but Paul had written on that in 1 Corinthians. Or he could have chosen the doctrine of reconciliation, but Paul had written on that in 2 Corinthians. Probably Jude could have written on the great subject of faith, but Paul had written on that in Galatians. Or he could have selected the church as the body of Christ, but Paul had written on that in Ephesians. Or he could have selected the person of Christ, but Paul had written on that in Colossians. Jude could have written about our Great High Priest, but the writer to the Hebrews had already written on that. Or he could have chosen the subject of fellowship, but John was going to write on that later on. So the Spirit of God caused him to develop another subject rather than to develop one of the great doctrines. The Spirit of God arrested his purpose before he could even put down his subject and directed him into another channel. Jude’s subject is the coming apostasy. He gives us the most vivid account that we have of the apostasy, and he presents it in a very dramatic manner. Jude hangs out a red lantern on the most dangerous curve along the highway the church of Christ is traveling. (Read the complete article)
[2] Book of Jude, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)
According to verse 3, Jude was anxious to write about our salvation; however, he changed topics to address contending for the faith. This faith embodies the complete body of Christian doctrine taught by Christ, later passed on to the apostles. After Jude warns of false teachers (Jude 4-16) he advises us on how we can succeed in spiritual warfare (Jude 20-21). Here is wisdom we would do well to accept and adhere to as we go through these days of the end times. (Read the complete article)
[3] Jude, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
WRITER: Jude, the brother of James (Jude 1:1)

DATE: Probably A.D. 66

THEME: It is not so much Jude who speaks, as the constraining Spirit (Jude 1:3) and the theme is, “Contending for the faith” (Luke 18:8), (See Scofield “Luke 18:8”) . In this brief letter the apostasy (See Scofield “2 Thessalonians 2:3”) of the professing church is predicted, and the cause and course described. As in Second Timothy and Second Peter the apostasy is treated as having already set in.

The Epistle is in five divisions:

1. Introduction, Jude 1-2
2. Occasion of the Epistle, Jude 3-4
3. Apostasy is possible, Jude 5-7
4. Apostate teachers described, Jude 8-19
5. The saints assured and comforted, Jude 20-25
Discussion

[1] Key verses: Jude 3, 17-19, 24-25

[2] The word for keep occurs 5 times (see verses 1, 6, 21, 24).

[3] The Book of Jude has numerous references to the Old Testament:
  • The Exodus (Jude 5; Exodus 1:1-14:31)
  • Satan’s rebellion (Jude 6; Isaiah 14:12-14 )
  • Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7; Genesis 19:24ff)
  • Moses’ death (Jude 9; Deuteronomy 34:1-8)
  • Cain (Jude 11; Genesis 4:1-25)
  • Balaam (Jude 11; Numbers 22:1-24:25)
  • Korah (Jude 11; Numbers 16:1-49)
  • Enoch (Jude 14-15; Genesis 4:17-5:24)
  • Adam (Jude 14; Genesis 2:19-5:5)
[4] Bible verses on “contending for the faith” or religious zeal
Joshua 24:15,16; 2 Samuel 24:24, 25; 1 Kings 9:4; 15:14; 1 Chronicles 29:17; 2 Chronicles 15:15; 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psalm 42:1-2; 60:4; 96:2-3, 10; 119:139; Proverbs 11:30; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 58:12; 60:1; 62:6-7; Daniel 12:3; Micah 5:7; Habakkuk 2:2; Haggai 2:4-5; Zechariah 14:20-21; Matthew 5:13-16; Mark 4:21,22; Luke 8:16-17; 22:32-33; John 6:27; 9:4; Acts 10:42; 26:29; Romans 1:8,9; 7:22; 12:11; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 7:29-34; 13:3; 14:12; 15:58; 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 13, 16-18; 7:11; 9:2; Galatians 4:18; 6:9; Ephesians 5:15,16; 6:14-20; Philippians 1:27-28; 2:15; 3:4-14, 20; Colossians 4:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Titus 2:14; 3:1; Hebrews 10:34; 11:15-16, 24-27; 13:13-15; James 5:19,20; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:10-11; 3:14; Jude 1:3-22; Revelation 3:19; 5:4-5; 22:17
[5] Present-day apostasies:
Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Jude: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, by Daniel B. Wallace, Th.M., Ph.D.

[2] Contend Earnestly for the Faith – Commentary on the Book of Jude, by Paul G. Apple

[3] Jude

[4] The Non-Pauline Epistles, by J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M. (also available in Spanish)

[5] Enoch, The Man Who Pleased God (Week Two), by Crickett Keeth B.S.; MACE

[6] Survey of Bible Doctrine: Angels, Satan, Demons, by Sid Litke, Th.M

Sermons on Jude (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Preparing For Battle, by Rev Aaron R Baldridge, Calvary Free Will Baptist Church

[2] Hey Jude! by Ralph Stone, Fist Baptist Church, Hughes, AR

[3] The What and How of Prayer, by David E. Holden

[4] Earnestly Contend for the Faith, by Jesse Joel Bartz

For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner

Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.

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