A Deeper Look: Verse 1 Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: July 01, 2014

Date Preached: July 02, 2014

Where Preached: OPBC (Wed - PM)

Sermon Details:

Series Title: A Series in Jude

Sermon Title: A Deeper Look: Verse 1

Sermon Text: Jude 1:1 [ESV]

Introduction:

1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are: called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

The ‘audience’ to whom this letter was written is described by Jude as “…those who are called…” The entire story of redemption throughout its development AND all throughout Scripture has ALWAYS been shaped by the DIVINE ‘calling’ of God!

That ‘divine’ calling invites us to be an active participant in God’s work and here Jude relates that these people to whom he is writing HAVE been divinely ‘called’ by God!

Let’s think about what it means ‘to be called’ by God. When we think about that phrase … mostly we understand that it refers to our indentity that we have Christ based on His invitation to forgiveness and redemption.

When we are ‘called’ we enjoy membership within the family of God because we rec’d a personal invitation from God to join the party! I know how awesome it is to receive an invitation to a party where the one giving the party take the time to personally write and invite you to be a part of their celebration…

When we are ‘called’ by God…this means that the person throwing the party… GOD! Has taken His own time to issue a personal invitation to us to join Him. The ultimate party will happen in Heaven, but he invites us to be a part of his invitation process to others as well…

It is like the person inviting you to their party telling you that if you have some friends, tell them about the party and they will also get a personal invitation like you did…

The ‘calling’ that is extended BY God to us is done so thru His love for His creation! He took the initiative AND action to offer the invitatino for His creation to come back into a right relationship with Him.

Without His invitation (calling)… no amount of effort on our part would be enough to save us! But God has offered His invitation (calling) to us THRU His love…

Jude points this out in the next part of this verse…

1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are: called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

In a later verse Jude actually illustrates God’s love by referencing the deliverance (Exodus) of the Children of Israel from Egypt. BUT we see that he puts a new eschatalogical shape to it by saying, “…that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt…”

This is clearly Jude’s effort to tie the delivery of the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt TO the act of love Jesus accomplished on the Cross that delivers a people out of the bondage of sin! While this is the only focused illustration about God’s love mentioned here, I don’t believe Jude is saying that the Cross was God’s only act of love…

We find that God’s love is eternal and that it is HIS character…who He is and not just what He does. John tells us in 1 John 4:7-9 tells us that “God IS love”

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

John’s focus is NOT on the fact that God DOES love us… The fact that God DOES love is evident! But rather, John wants us to know that God DOES love because God IS love!

God’s love is a love that is eternal and everlasting… a love that cannot be broken or removed! God’s nature of love toward His creation is so deep and so encompassing that in His love we are safe and secure!

Jude completes the trifecta here by revealing that NOT ONLY are we called by God out of His deep LOVE for us… but that if we accept His loving call on our lives, that He is faithful and powerful enough to KEEP us and never let us go!

1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are: called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

This parallel thought along side of God’s divine invitation and His eternal love is that God ‘guards’ His people… or as Jude puts it He ‘keeps’ them.