“A redwood tree fell in a California forest. Four hundred years old. It wasn’t destroyed by lightning. Storms had come and gone, but the tree stood. It wasn’t felled by winds. Bent by their force, but never uprooted. The tree didn’t fall to fire. It had stood when others collapsed.
What destroyed the redwood?
Insects. Termites devoured it from within. It had stood for four centuries against the elements from without, but collapsed because of an attack within.
Jude warns that the same can happen to the church. He wanted to write ‘about the salvation we share’. But he felt compelled to address a more somber issue—the danger of false teachers.
Apparently, some had entered the church. They were not students of the Word but, rather, promoters of sexual sin. They used God’s grace as a license for passion. The only solution? “I . . . urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people”.
Jude is urgent in his warning. What destroyed the redwood can destroy a church. But he is equally urgent in his encouragement. ‘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.’
Can God really keep you from falling? To answer that, go to another tree on a barren hill. A tree older than time. A tree that covers the mistakes of your past and the problems of your future. Be assured—that tree will never fall.”—Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible
Everything is gonna be all right…(I bet you sang that instead of reading it.)
Jude, The Message
1-2 I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!
Fight with All You Have in You
3-4 Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.
Lost Stars in Outer Space
5-7 I’m laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn’t need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. And you know the story of the angels who didn’t stick to their post, abandoning it for other, darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great Judgment Day. Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning.
8 This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.
9-11 The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn’t have dared level him with a blasphemous curse, but said simply, “No you don’t. God will take care of you!” But these people sneer at anything they can’t understand, and by doing whatever they feel like doing—living by animal instinct only—they participate in their own destruction. I’m fed up with them! They’ve gone down Cain’s road; they’ve been sucked into Balaam’s error by greed; they’re canceled out in Korah’s rebellion.
12-13 These people are eyesores at your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They’re giving you a black eye—carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down. They’re—
Puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind;
late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit,
Doubly dead, pulled up by the roots;
wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach
but the foam of their shame;
Lost stars in outer space
on their way to the black hole.
14-16 Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: “Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth.” These are the complainers, the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.
17-19 But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!
* * *
20-21 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
22-23 Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.
24-25 And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
God loves the world of His created people. We learned from John’s passionate writings that God IS love. He loves us so much he designed a plan to save us before we were born. God knows us. And he still loves us. We say, “but if you only knew my thoughts you would not love me.” God says, “I love you with an everlasting love.” There is nothing you will do that will cause God to stop loving you.
Through the Old and New Testament, the Writers were inspired by God and filled with God so that we may know and love God ourselves. But the really big news that I pray saturates our hearts this morning is the realization about God is not that we love God back but that God loves us! Our names are written on the palm of His hands. We are always on His mind! There is nothing about us that God does not notice. We cannot escape from His sight or flee from His Presence. God He see the worst of us and loves us still! Nothing we think, say, or do surprises Him. He is God! He knows us better than we know ourselves—and He decided to love us still.
In fact, the greatest discovery in the universe is the greatest love in the universe—God’s love. “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love,” Paul declared with confidence. (Romans 8:29) Think about what these words mean. You may be separated from your spouse, from your folks, from your kids, from your hair, from your job; but you are not and never will be separated from the love of God. Ever.
“We love Him because He first loved us,” declares John, the Beloved.
Broken hearts, confused minds, and dried up parched souls crave this Love. Taking in only a sip only satisfies for a nano second. Drinking unceasingly from the ever flowing well of God’s Love not only sustains us but invigorates and excites us to go bring others to the well. I’m reminded of the Samaritan women that Jesus met, on purpose, for a purpose—to seek and to save the lost—while demonstrating this real, everlasting love to someone who everyone knew as a prostitute but is now the proclaimer of God’s love and salvation! “Come and see the man who knew…and loved.” Out of all people in the world, the first person that Jesus chose to reveal himself to was a woman who was a person who came from a people that the Jewish people rejected. That speaks volumes about the message he brought to the world than any other. (See John 4 for the complete story!) https://youtu.be/ordhsDeAt60?si=wrhFp1kdKxbVKFrM
While we walked in the darkness, groping for a way out, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the One and Only who had the power and passion to present and demonstrate His Father’s love to humanity. Mankind is interested and impressed by this love that is like no other love, but not fully convinced until they accept the gift of love, mercy, and grace, delivered to us from the cross of Jesus who paid for our sins. Yes, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Jude warns believers of those who are only impressed by Jesus but will not accept this gift of redemption from sins not his love expressed by laying His life down for theirs. Evil still has a hold on them. Evil hates everything about God and will constantly attempt to distract and deceive us while trying to destroy our relationship with God.
Jude also encourages believers that false teacher will be revealed along with their sins. Jude also give us how to stay encouraged and to “stay on our feet” in faith;
- Know and believe that we are loved by God and kept safe by Jesus.
- “Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!” Jesus IS coming back to claim His own. Jesus is the Victor and has already won the war against evil, our real enemy. The battles we face are mere skirmishes with evil and our own self-guided foolishness that attempts to draw us away from obedience to God. But God’s love never fails. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
- Fight for the faith of God to remain within us so others will know God because of our faith. Always point the Way to Jesus Christ—not ourselves. Jesus saves. We are ambassadors of His love, as one beggar to another, starved for the Bread of Life!
- Carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
- It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!
Lord,
Your Word to Jude speaks volumes to us this morning. I’m overwhelmed right now by your unending love, undeserved mercy, and amazing grace to me. I am humbled by your love that loves me no matter what—even when I don’t love myself and am ashamed by my behavior. Thank you for loving us the way you do that goes beyond all human love. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors, refresh our souls with living water and the bread of life. Restore continually the joy and peace of your salvation at work within all who believe.
In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 