It Begins With A Changed Heart Series

Sermon 1 of 11

Jude: A Call to Defend

It Begins With a Changed Heart

Jude 1

Introduction

Jude is 3rd shortest book of the New Testament.

It was probably written in the between 60 and 70 A.D.

We are unclear on the specific church this letter was written to.

Message of Jude is very similar to 2 Peter

Passage

1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

1. Jude almost missed the true Jesus!

Jude does not say a lot about himself, but He gives us a wealth of information anyway.

We see he is the brother of James; that would make him the half-brother of Jesus!

James was an influential Christian in the 1st Century.

He was the pastor of the Jerusalem Church ---Acts 15

Matthew records that James and Jude (Judas) were Jesus’

brothers.

Matthew 13:55

55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

We also know that Jesus’ family did not recognize Him as Messiah during His earthly ministry.

John 7:5

5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.

They openly mocked Him in the preceding verses of John 7.

The one who grew up with Jesus, His own half-brother, almost missed the Messiah.

The question for you, “Are you missing the real Jesus?”

Are you believing what others say about Him? What others want you to believe about Him?

The world in which you live tells you that Jesus ….

Is a myth

A good teacher, but not God.

A revolutionary to be discarded.

2. Jude experienced a change of Heart.

Very simply, Jude went from mocking Jesus to trusting Jesus as his Savior and Lord.

When did it happen? Scripture does not tell of this event.

Most scholars agree that it happened during the 40 days that Jesus walked the earth after the Resurrection.

How do we know it happened? Well because of what Jude calls himself in relationship to Jesus …. A bond-servant.

Understand this, no matter what you have done in the past, God can still change your heart.

God’s invitation to you is not just to salvation, it is to life-transformation.

God gives you the strength and super-natural power to change, to transform.

The Bible calls our salvation

A new birth ---- John 3

A new creation ---- 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Bible teaches that our faith relationship with Jesus causes us to be transformed, to be changed, to be made new.

Have you been made new by Jesus Christ?

3. Jude’s changed heart causes him to be a bond-servant.

For Jude his faith relationship with Jesus was not just fire insurance, it became a way of life.

He voluntarily became a slave to Jesus.

The Greek word for slave, or bond-servant, is doulos.

It means to be owned by giving absolute, selfless submission

to someone.

Slavery has a bad connotation in our country, justifiably so.

A bond-servant was one who willing became a slave, a servant.

Bond-servants were treated well by their masters

Bond-servants were one of the family.

As a bond-servant, there is something within you that desires to submit to someone out of love and respect.

Understand this we are a slave to one or two things.

Slave to sin --- forced slavery

Slave to Jesus ---- voluntarily

When we enter a faith relationship with Jesus, He bought us with His blood.

We have been bought from one viscous slave owner, Satan, by Jesus’ blood.

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we are gaining salvation, but we are also willingly giving our life to Him because we no longer want to be Satan’s slave.

Conclusion

Are you missing Him?

Are you willing to be transformed by Him?

Are you willingly serving Him?