Bible Studies
The Epistle of Jude
(Taught at Community Bible Chapel by Andy
Neckar)
Jude 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
James, to them that are sanctified (purified-approved) by God the Father, and
preserved (sealed) in Jesus Christ, and called:
Jude is writing to a group of people in a church, and notice he doesn’t
address this letter to ALL in the assemble, but onto to those who are saved.
[Side Note] Christians are IN CHRIST and
therefore they can be lost in sin ONLY if CHRIST HIMSELF
can be lost in sin.
You will notice that four men wrote the gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke
& John
Aand six men wrote the Epistles. Luke, Paul, Peter, James, John and
Jude the brother of James.
All total only eight men wrote the complete New Testament. Matthew,
Mark, Luke & John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude.
Jude 1:2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
Mercy, peace and love is to grow/be increased in us.
Jude 1:3 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 (one time-on one occasion)
delivered unto the saints.
Jude writes the letter in all eagerness, and earnestness. He writes in all haste/speed.
He writes that we should be in remembrance of our common, (in like
faith) salvation and we should EARNESTLE CONTEND for that faith.
We should sincerely and seriously struggle, resist, and fight back
for the faith with the Truth. We are to
oppose and call into question those that preach another Gospel or another Doctrine of
Christ.
Why is he writing this letter?
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were
before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are certain men who are IN THE CHURCH. These men and women have crept in unawares. They
have sneaked in and the sheep are not aware of this.
They are not conscious, or mindful of this.
They are DUMB SHEEP and they need a Shepherd.
These heretics are exposed with four charges/accusations.
1.They entered secretly.
2. They were previously appointed to condemnation.
3.They are ungodly, that is irreverent. (disrespectful and ungodly-wicked and
sinful. immoral)
4.They deny Christ as Master and Lord. To deny is positively to disbelieve what
Christ testified/said about Himself.
Jude 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye
once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward “destroyed them that believed not”.
These Christians may have forgotten just what it was that saved them. Jude has to write them and remind them of the COMMON
SALVATION and he also has to bring them to remembrance that UNBELIEVER ARE NOT
SAVED
ALL the Israelites came out of Egypt (were in church)
but not ALL were saved.
Jude 1:6,And the angels which kept not their first estate, but
left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the
judgment of the great day.
ALL the angels were in heaven, (where in church) but
not ALL were saved.
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them
in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are
set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
ALL, the WHOLE cities of Sodom and Gomorrha were
destroyed but not ALL in those cities were destroyed. (Lot and his two daughters)
Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh,
despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
They contaminate or taint the body, (cause the body to sin)
and hate rulers. (they want the rule to themselves) and speak evil ( blasphemeo
(blas-fay-meh'-o) blaspheme, curse impair, weaken, water down the gospel/doctrine of
Christ
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the
devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing
accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Although Jude is speaking of information found in the apocryphal
story of Michael and the devil, taken from the “Assumption of Moses”, is
not to say that the Holy Spirit did not reveal this to him at some time.
Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know
not: but what they know naturally, as brute (alogos (al'-og-os- irrational,
unreasonable) beasts, (animals) in those things they corrupt (ruin, defile,
destroy) themselves.
They speak only of things that they know naturally/carnally. (in
the flesh and not spiritually discerned)
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of
Cain, and ran greedily after “the error of Balaam for reward”, and
perished in the gainsaying (disobedience) of Core.
“Core” is not found anywhere else in the Bible.
2 Pet 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, “who loved the wages of
unrighteousness”
It is the FASLE teachers/preachers that draw the crowds and
make the big money.
Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they
feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried
about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the
roots;
These men are spots, (dangerous obstacles. As a rock in the sea is a danger to ships) The
feast spoken of is probable the meal taken right before the Lord’s Supper ordinance
of passing around the Bread and the Cup. Christ
and His disciples ate a meal and after He had “supped”, that is, after He
had finished the meal He passed the Bread and the Cup.
They do not examine themselves before they partake of the ordinance. They do this without FEAR.
1 Cor 11:28-29 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of
that bread, and drink of that cup.For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
See also 1 Cor 11:18-22
These men are DEAD, DEAD. They have WITHERED fruit.. They are WITHOUT fruit. They are PLUCKED UP by the ROOTS. They are DEAD.
They have NO LIFE in them at all.
Read about the fig tree in Mark chapter 11. Jesus could find no fruit on it, and what
happened?
Mark 11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig
tree “dried up from the roots”.
They are clouds without water.
They are WORTHLESS.
Jude 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own
shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Raging waves of the sea are DANGEROUS. Even stars have a FIXED course but these
men do not. See how often and in so many
different ways Jude describes them as WORTHLESS.
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of
these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
Jude says: Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied. He has to be speaking of the Enoch of Gen 5,
but it is not found in the Bible. The same as the story of the body of Moses. There is an apocryphal/suspect “Book of
Enoch” in which Enoch speaks this prophecy
1 Enoch 1:9 And behold!
He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones
To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly:
Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all
that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed,
and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
1 Enoch 1:9 And to convict all flesh of all the works of
their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which
ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after
their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in
admiration because of advantage.
Jude speaks of the HIRELINGS who want MONEY and ADMIRATION
OF MEN.
Jude 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were
spoken “before” (previous-beforehand-ONCE DELIVERED) of the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in
the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
The apostles already told them this, but Jude is REMINDING
them of it again. See Jude 1:5
Jude 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual,
having not the Spirit.
These men separate themselves, that is, they put themselves bodily,
not spiritually, on a higher level than the others. They
pretend to be superior
Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Building up--growing in faith
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We have the HOPE of eternal life. We are to LOOK for it. We EXAMINE ourselves as to whether we can SEE
it in us.
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
But ye, beloved (Jude 1:20) Jude is talking to Christians
here. But of SOME. Not on those who have crept in unawares but on
fellow brothers in the Lord why were deceived by these false teachers/heretics. We are to have mercy and correct/reprove them and
restore them to fellowship should they admit their error and repent.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the
fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Others save with FEAR, not arrogance. “There but for the grace of God go I”.
Jude 1:24 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,
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever unto Him
who is able to KEEP YOU FROM FALLING.
A-M-E-N.
