A Descriptive Greeting
1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Jude 1:1-2
The Nelson Study Bible notes, "Few books in the N.T. have more to say to our generation than the Epistle of Jude. Distorters of the faith will find the book distasteful because of its warnings and uncompromising stance against defectors from the truth of Jesus Christ. But to those who approach the book with receptive hearts, Jude words speak as clearly and forcefully today as they did almost two thousand years ago." This is a small but powerful book. The Descriptive Greeting begins with the Author and his Audience.
The Author
JUDE’S IDENTITY
Jude – it is literally Judas or Judah. The name Jude (Judas) is the Greek form of the well-known Old Testament Hebrew name Judah. The title of the book is Hey Jude, bring back a nostalgic moment for those Beatle fans. It is designed to catch people’s attention; a preacher does what a preacher has to do! The term has 6 distinct uses in the New Testament. Specifically, it refers:
• to Judah, the son of Jacob in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:2);
• to Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 5:5; 7:5);
• to Judah, the southern kingdom after the division (Hebrews 7:14; 8:8);
• to Judas Iscariot, the thief who betrayed Jesus and committed suicide (Matthew 27:3ff.; John 12:4ff.);
• to Judas, the son (brother, cf. KJV) of James [Greek text, just says lit., ”of James.", who was one of the 12 apostles (Luke 6:16);
• to Judas, the brother of the Lord (Mark 6:3) who authored the general epistle known as Jude.
JUDE’S RECEPTION OF MERCY
This dude is Jude, but not Judas Iscariot! Charles Spurgeon notes:
"This Judas was not the son of perdition, but a true son of God, a sincere and earnest-hearted believer. Yet, when he wrote his own name down, Judas, which we pronounce short as "Jude," I think that the tears must have come to his eyes as he remembered that other Judas,-with the same name, and by birth with the same nature. If left to himself, he might have proved a traitor to his Master, like the other Judas; but grace had made him to differ from the man who betrayed his Lord. If it had been your case or mine, I am sure that we could not have written down that name without reflecting upon our obligations to the sovereign grace of God, which kept us from being sons of perdition."
How many Johnny Palmer's will die and go to hell? People who have the same name as I do, and the same sin nature as me, and with my same condition of spiritual death. Why will I end up in heaven instead of the lake of fire? God’s Grace! There is an old saying that is true, "But for the grace of God there go I!" I think most of us feel like John Newton who said:
"When I get to heaven I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be, to see many people there whom I did not expect to see—the second wonder will be, to miss many people whom I did expect to see; and the third and greatest wonder of all, will be to find myself there."
Ken Langley shares this amusing story, "After worrying for half an hour that we wouldn't get on an overbooked flight, my wife and I were summoned to the check-in desk. A smiling agent whispered that this was our lucky day. To get us on the plane he was bumping us up to first class. This was the first and only time we've been so pampered on an airplane—good food, hot coffee, plenty of elbow-room. We played a little game, trying to guess who else didn't belong in first class. One man stuck out. He padded around the cabin in his socks, restlessly sampling magazines, playing with but never actually using the in-flight phones. Twice he sneezed so loudly we thought the oxygen masks would drop down. And when the attendant brought linen tablecloths for our breakfast trays, he tucked his into his collar as a bib. We see misfits at church, too—people who obviously don't belong, people who embarrass us and cause us to feel superior. The truth is we don't belong there any more than they do."
JUDE’S SLAVERY
a bond-servant – "Servant" is better translated "slave"—the Greek word is not diakonos ("[household] servant") but doulos ("[bond]slave"). The word obviously indicates Jude's submission to the Lord. Barclay notes:
• To call the Christian the doulos of God means that he is inalienably possessed by God. In the ancient world a master possessed his slaves in the same sense as he possessed his tools. A servant can change his master; but a slave cannot. The Christian inalienably belongs to God.
• To call the Christian the doulos of God means that he is unqualifiedly at the disposal of God. In the ancient world the master could do what he liked with his slave. He had the same power over his slave as he had over his inanimate possessions. He had the power of life and death over his slave. The Christian belongs to God, for God to send him where He will, and to do with him what He will. The Christian is the man who has no rights of his own, for all his rights are surrendered to God.
• To call the Christian the doulos of God means that the Christian owes an unquestioning obedience to God. Ancient law was such that a master's command was a slave's only law. Even if a slave was told to do something which actually broke the law, he could not protest, for, as far as he was concerned, his master's command was the law. In any situation the Christian has but one question to ask: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” The command of God is his only law.
• To call the Christian the doulos of God means that he must be constantly in the service of God. In the ancient world the slave had literally no time of his own, no holidays, no time off, no working-hours settled by agreement, no leisure. All his time belonged to the master. (The Letters of James and Peter, rev. ed. [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976], 345-46; emphasis in the original).
Every believer is a free will slave of Christ.
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence. Acts 4:29
"Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation." Acts 16:17
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," Romans 1:1
"just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf," Colossians 1:7
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John," Revelation 1:1
"19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
John MacArthur observes, "In the Greco-Roman world slavery was widespread, making the familiar New Testament designation bond-servant very significant. It denoted being owned and rendering absolute, selfless submission to someone, in this case to Jesus as Lord. In this letter such identification is especially fitting because it sets Jude in sharp contrast to the apostates. He was a grateful, willing slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas the apostates denied Christ's lordship through their overtly sinful lifestyles. (v. 4; cf. 2 Peter 2:1)."
The picture is of a wild unbroken horse that wants its independence. It does not want to be ridden; it does not want to be told what to do or where to go. Oh it accepts it when the cowboy feeds it or gives it plenty of water to drink. It will gladly receive the stable built to keep it out of the rain It just says just don’t get on my back Jack! But the process of turning that horse into a useful stallion involves breaking the stallion so as to allow Jack to get on his back and direct it’s going and coming. It is not a pleasant process; it always involves a lot of bucking, biting, and brings Jack to the ground level. If the horse could talk he is repeatedly communicating, “Stay off my back Jack!” But our good cowboy will not be dissuaded from his planned purpose. When the goal is reached it becomes a thing of beauty and something that God created the stallion to be from the beginning. Many of us want the blessings from God, but we don't want Him riding us and bringing us into submission to His will. That simple won’t do!
We should also keep in mind that this word also includes the idea of honor. The great leaders of God's people in the Old Testament were also called "servants" of God, such as:
• Abraham (Ps 105:42);
• Moses (Josh. 14:7; 2 Kings 18:12);
• David (Ps. 18:1; Ezek. 34:23);
• and Daniel (Dan 6:20).
Also, to say that Jude is a slave of Jesus Christ, indicates that Jesus Christ is in the position of Lord or an acknowledgement that He is God. The phrase, "servant of the Lord" or "servant of God" is a standard Old Testament phrase. When Jude puts "Jesus Christ" in place of "the Lord" or "God," then, he is communicating something of immensely importance about Jesus—that He has a relationship to Jude similar to the relationship of the Lord to Moses and David. As one noted:
“This was an amazing step for a Jew like Jude, steeped in his people's strict monotheism. But his associating Jesus with God is all the more impressive when we remember that Jude had grown up in the same household as Jesus. Surely an event as spectacular as the Resurrection was necessary to have led Jude to view his own brother as one who was in some sense equal to God… We must, of course, not imagine that he had worked out all the theological implications inherent in speaking of Jesus in these terms…But early Christians had an experience of Jesus that led them to begin applying to him language they had in the past reserved for God. Only gradually did they work out the theological implications of this transfer of language. But the point is that we need somehow to "hear" these theological overtones in the language Jude uses if we are fully to appreciate the significance of what he says…Once we recognize the theological overtones in the phrase "servant of Jesus Christ," we can find in the phrase a reminder of the exalted nature of Jesus. His exalted status is something that, after centuries of orthodox teaching, most of us take for granted. But many do not, and many who do give Him a unique status fail to give him "equal billing" with God the Father (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses; Mormons).”
What Jude hints at, other Scriptures have made crystal clear: John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 2 Peter 1:1; Titus 2:13.
• They Praised him (e.g., Matt. 14:33; 28:9, 17; cf. Heb. 1:6);
• They Pointed to Old Testament verses about Yahweh to him (e.g., Rom. 10:13);
• They Prayed to him (e.g., Acts 7:59).
JUDE’S CHRISTOLOGY
of Jesus Christ - Christ is not His last name! It is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One. We have the special Revelation afforded Jude, I mean he grew up with Jesus. How cool would that be!
"54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas [Jude]? Matthew 13:54-55
Yet in spite of awesome privilege we see Jude’s Rejection.
"1 After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 "For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. John 7:1-5
But as I always tell my wife Ann, all ends well, that ends well, we also see his Recognition. What caused Him to believe that Jesus was the Christ? Nothing short of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! Warren Wiersbe observes, "Since the author of this epistle was the brother of James, this would make him the half brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Mark 6:3). Our Lord's brothers in the flesh did not believe in Him while He was ministering (John 7:5). But after the Resurrection, James was converted (see 1 Cor. 15:7), and we have every reason to believe that Jude was also saved at that time. Acts 1:14 informs us that "His brethren" were part of the praying group that was awaiting the Holy Spirit; 1 Corinthians 9:5 states that "the brethren of the Lord" were known in the early church."
John Philips, "None of the other children in Joseph and Mary's home were out of the ordinary. Jesus' sisters were just village girls. We would like to know more about them. His brothers—James, Joses, Simon, Judas—were nobodies too. In the end He won them all (Acts 1:12-14). James and Judas wrote books that found their way into the New Testament. James also became the leading elder of the Jerusalem church. It is difficult for us to picture those brothers and sisters growing up in the same family as the sinless Son of God and being so blind as not to see who He really was. He was so human. He played with them, went to the synagogue school with them, watched over them, protected them, helped them, wept with them, laughed with them, sang with them, prayed with them, and dearly loved them. After the resurrection the Lord personally appeared to James, maybe in the workshop at Nazareth (1 Corinthians 15:7). In any case, His resurrection blew away the cobwebs from their eyes."
The Resurrection makes the difference! Wilder shares, "I remember that after I had worked in university centers in Portugal I went from there to Norway, and I was a little impressed by the difference among the people. I wondered how one could explain it. Then I remembered that every representation I had seen in Portugal of Jesus Christ was that of as an infant in someone’s arms, or else as crucified on the cross. But the first painting I saw on reaching Norway was that of the empty tomb, the three women and the angel. "He is not here; He is risen." The thought came to me, "May that not explain possibly some of the difference in the types of Christianity in Portugal and in Norway?"
"17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:17-19
JUDE’S HUMILITY
and brother of James –James, is the only man in the early church who could be called simply “James” with no risk of confusing anybody as to who he was. After the death of James the son of Zebedee, only one early Christian leader was commonly called simply “James,” without the need for further identification (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 2:9, 12); And only one pair of brothers called James and Judas are known from the N.T. (Mark 6:3). Jude therefore uses this phrase to identify himself by reference to his more famous brother. Of course, he too must have been known to the churches he addresses, but Judas was too common a name, even among Christian leaders, to identify him alone (Cf. Luke 6:16; John 14:22; Acts 15:22). We should also note that the early church used the title “brother of the Lord”, as a way of focusing on their uniqueness and authoritative position in the church. It appears that these brothers themselves were to humble to claim authority based merely on their physical relationship to Jesus, and thus seem to be uneasy with the term. The bottom line is, James and Jude were brothers - and half brothers of Jesus Christ. Our Lord of course was virgin born, but after He was born Mary and Joseph had children.
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him." Mark 6:3
"But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother." Galatians 1:19
Jude could have added "and half-brother of Jesus" - the fact that he didn’t reveals his humility. Jude was too humble to advertise Himself as the half-brother of Jesus Christ. God love humility in His children. The Bible tells us, "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:12. See also Phil. 2:5-9.
A little boy was out fishing with only a switch for a pole and a bent pin for a hook, but he was catching many fish. A city slicker, who had spent the day fishing without catching a thing, came upon the boy with his long string of fish, and asked the boy the reason for his success. The boy said, "The secret of it all is that I keep myself out of sight." We too must keep ourselves out of sight so that people can see the Lord Jesus Christ that is the only real success, giving God all the glory. So we have a brief Descriptive greeting about the Author. Colton notes, “There are three difficulties in authorship: (1) to write anything worth publishing, (2)to find honest men to publish it, and (3) to get sensible men to read it.” Well we have gotten past the first two difficulties - the book of Jude is certainly worth publishing since it is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17); it was written by an honest man, in that he was writing under the inspiration of God; and now the only remaining difficulty is are we sensible enough to study this book week after week? I would suggest you open up the book of Jude and read it as least 10 times just to get familiar with it.
In the U.S. alone, a total of over 5 billion greeting cards are produced. Over $150 million are spent on postage to mail them. The smallest greeting card ever sent was to the Prince of Wales written on a grain of rice! We have looked at the Author and now we continue on with the Audience.
The Audience
First, the Greeting speaks of the Privileges of the believer.
We are Called by the Spirit.
To those who are the called - Called out, invited, chosen, appointed. One of the names for the Holy Spirit is Paraclete. The Paraclete is "one who is called alongside." The church is ecclessia, lit. "the called-out ones." The church is called out of the world, unto fellowship with the Lord.
• The called can be used for Identification of one's name.
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
• Can be used as a Identification title.
Speaking of believers John writes, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." 1 John 3:1
• It can be used in the sense of an Invitation.
"16 But He said to him, "A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.' 19 "Another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.' 20 "Another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.' 21 "And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22 "And the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23 "And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 'For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'" Luke 14:16-24
• It can be used in legal Indictment.
"And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus." Acts 4:18
• Believers are called to special Endowment.
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," Romans 1:1
• Believers are called to live Irenical lives.
"13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace." 1 Corinthians 7:13-15
• In our passage it is related to the call to Initial salvation:
"28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:28-30
"23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'" 26 "AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD." Romans 9:23-26
God's call is:
• Universal. Paul told the men of Athens that God "now commands all men everywhere" to repent (Acts 17:30).
Jn. 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This universal call often is rejected:
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Matthew 23:37
James Kennedy, "The Bible speaks of both a calling which is effectual, and a calling which is not. If anyone should respond to that calling, they would receive eternal life because God will refuse no one...But there is a problem. Man in his fallen condition is so bound by sin and blinded by his iniquity that he desires to have nothing to do with the holy God because his heart is at enmity with God...Man is always free to do what he wants to do, that's why he is responsible for everything he does. But, he doesn't have the power or the desire to do what he ought to do."
• The call becomes individual when it is brought to us.
• It becomes personal when we receive it.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." Revelation 22:17
No one among fallen humanity initiates seeking after God.
"9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;" Romans 3:9-11
As one put it:
"I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew,
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true,
No I was found of Thee."
CBL, "It is always God who issues the call; the term election is never used of man choosing God, but of God choosing man. The Bible teaches that none choose God because fallen man is spiritually dead."
The New American Commentary, “We will begin with the term "called." English readers, when asked to define the word "called," might give the definition "invited." Such a definition would misunderstand radically what Jude intended. The term "called" does not merely mean that God invited believers to be his own. Those whom God calls are powerfully and inevitably brought to faith in Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel. The call of God is extended only to some and is always successful, so that all those who are called become believers. Such an understanding of "called" is clearly attested in the Pauline writings.”
Why did Jude emphasize such an idea here? We need to recall that intruders had threatened the faith of the church. Jude, in the course of his letter, will give some sharp warnings to his readers. Such warnings, however, could give the impression that the focus is on human effort and endurance. Jude, by stressing God's supernatural calling, reminds the readers of the efficacy of God's grace.” Now personally I am not a doctrinal dueler – I am not one to argue the point. As someone said, “If a stick is crooked, there is no need to argue about it, just lay a straight stick beside it.” I simple will let the straight Word of God speak for itself:
1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God… 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1, 6-7
1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:… 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord… 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:2, 9, 24
15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased. Galatians 1:15
12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
1 Thessalonians 2:12
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:14
9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3
14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." Revelation 17:14
The NIV Application Commentary, “Jude identifies his readers as Christians. The key word in the description is "called" (kletois). This word reflects the New Testament conviction that being a Christian is a product of God's gracious reaching out to bring helpless sinners into a relationship with himself. "Call"… means "choose" or "select," and God's "choosing"—because it is he, the sovereign Lord, who is doing it—is effective. All this lies in the background.”
"12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." John 15:16
"20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes." John 5:20-21
"A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul." Acts 16:14
"even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians 2:5
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44; cf. v. 65).
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (2 Tim. 1:8-9)
John MacArthur, "In His sovereign wisdom, God chose believers based solely on His gracious purpose in Christ from before time began. His call, was not rooted in anything, He saw in them—not even their foreseen faith. Rather, His call was motivated by His own glory and good pleasure, that His mercy might be eternally put on display (Rom. 9:23-24). Believers, then, are those who are divinely elected to salvation. They did not earn God's choice; nor can they lose it or have it taken away (cf. John 6:37-40; 10:27- 30; Rom. 8:28-30, 38-39). Thus, they can rest in the security of God's gracious call, even in the most dangerous conflict with false teaching."
God always initiates the call to salvation. Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, "kletos is an adjective derived from the verb kaleo (see above), found eleven times with the meaning "called." The state of being "called" by God, implying sovereign divine election in the context of salvation, is indicated in Matt. 20:16; 22:14; Rom. 1:6 ff.; 8:28; Jude 1; Rev. 17:14.” Charles Spurgeon observed, "…Salvation is of the Lord. I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible. Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be a heresy; tell me a heresy and I shall find its essence here, that it has departed from this great, this fundamental, this rock-truth - God is my Rock and my Salvation. What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ - the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification?...Every heresy, if brought to the touch stone, will discover itself here." This work is that of the Holy Spirit, the Westminster Confession: "Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our mind in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He does persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel."
We could speak of:
• Called with a Heavenly calling (Heb.3:1)
• Called for His purpose (Romans 8:28).
• Called to Have fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 1:9).
• Called to Harmony. (1 Corinthians 7:15).
• Called to Have freedom. (Galatians 5:13).
• Called to a Hope. (Ephesians 4:4).
• Called to a High calling (Philippians 3:14).
• Called to Holiness. (2 Tim.1:9/1 Peter 1:15).
• Called to Inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).
• Called to eternal Honor. (1 Peter 5:10).
Now that God has called us, it is our responsibility to walk worthy of that calling. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1)
Believers are called:
1. "Children" for kinship—1 John 3:1, 2, R.V.
2. "Saints" for holiness—1 Cor. 1:2.
3. "Christians" for identification—Acts 11:26.
4. "Brethren" for fellowship—Heb. 2:11.
5. "Sheep" for character—John 10:3.
6. "Servants" for employment—Matt. xxv 14
7. "Friends" for companionship—John 15:15.
A member of a small church was asked to introduce the speaker at a Methodist evening church affair in Martinsville, Virginia. Because of bad weather the audience consisted of only a handful of people, but the man was equal to the occasion. He said, "I have been asked to introduce our speaker to you this evening, This I am very glad to do. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. John Brown. Mr. Brown, meet Mr. and Mrs. Rucker, Mr. and Mrs. Witten, Mr. Stowall, Miss Stowall...." Jude’s greeting is not to a mega-church, a large audience of people but to every individual Christian. If you are a believer you have been called by God's Spirit to Salvation.
Emily Post was born Emily Price in Baltimore, Maryland in 1873. She was the only daughter of famous architect Bruce Price and his wife Josephine Lee Price. She was educated at home and attended Miss Graham's finishing school in New York, where her family had moved. She married society banker Edwin Main Post in 1892 and had two sons. At the turn of the century, financial circumstances compelled her to begin writing to earn money, and she produced newspaper articles on architecture and interior design as well as stories and serials for such magazines as Harper's. She wrote on different topics, but her 1922 book "Etiquette" became a best seller and soon her articles on etiquette appeared in more than 200 newspapers.
Someone once asked Emily: "What is the correct procedure when one is invited to the White House and has a previous engagement?" She answered, "An invitation to lunch or dine at the White House is a command, and automatically cancels any other engagement." The same can be said when called by God, that it cancels out any other engagement, and becomes the irresistible focus of our life.
We are looking at the Descriptive Greeting; we have seen the Author and now continue under the Audience. We have seen that they are Called by the Spirit of God and now we continue with the fact they are Beloved by God the Father. In the 1980s, people shelled out thousands of dollars to own a potbellied pig, an exotic house pet imported from Vietnam. Their breeders claimed these mini-pigs were quite smart and would grow to only 40 pounds. Well, they were half right. The pigs were smart. But they had a tendency to grow to about 150 pounds and become quite aggressive. What do people do with an unwanted potbellied pig? Fortunately, Dale Riffle came to the rescue. Someone had given Riffle one of these pigs, and he fell in love with it. The pig, Rufus, never learned to use its litter box and developed this craving for carpets and wallpaper and drywall. Yet Riffle sold his suburban home and moved with Rufus to a five-acre farm in West Virginia. He started taking in other unwanted pigs, and before long, the guy was living in hog heaven. There are currently 180 residents on his farm. According to an article in U.S. News & World Report, they snooze on beds of pine shavings. They wallow in mud puddles. They soak in plastic swimming pools and listen to piped-in classical music. And they never need fear that one day they'll become bacon or pork chops. There's actually a waiting list of unwanted pigs trying to get a hoof in the door at Riffle's farm. Dale Riffle told the reporter, "We're all put on earth for some reason, and I guess pigs are my lot in life." How could anybody in his right mind fall in love with a pig! I'll tell you something even more amazing. An infinite, perfectly holy, majestic, awesome God is passionately in love with insignificant, sinful, openly rebellious, people - people like you and me.
Immediately we run into a textual variant - NKJ has "Sanctified by God the Father; while NAS has "Beloved in God the Father." "Those who are called are described as those "who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ." The NIV translation does not represent the view of many commentators in its translation of this verse. The KJV and NKJV reflect a different textual tradition in the first phrase and read "sanctified by God the Father" rather than "loved by God the Father." The KJV tradition depends on the Majority text, but the textual tradition overwhelmingly supports "loved" rather than "sanctified." The variant reading in the KJV signals to the reader the difficulty of the expression used by Jude. Some scholars and translations understand the first participle phrase (en theo patri egapemenois) to say "beloved in God the Father" (RSV, NASB, NRSV). Such a rendering is attractive because often the verb "love" (agapao) is linked with the preposition "by" (hypo) if agency is intended. The preposition en, on this reading, suggests the sphere in which God's love is exercised. Such an interpretation of the phrase is certainly possible, but I think it is unlikely because the participle "loved" is passive, and God is the agent of the passive verb. Hence, it seems that the NIV rightly captures the meaning here. Believers have been loved by God the Father, and his effective love is the reason they belong to the people of God."
[New American Commentary - New American Commentary]
"Again we have a textual problem. It is "sanctified" [KJV] or "loved" [NIV/NASB]. Facts are that hegiasmenois, "sanctified" is not found in any Greek manuscript before the ninth century. Paprus 72 [3rd century], Aleph and B [4th century], many minuscules, and the oldest versions all have here egapemenois, perfect passive participle of the well-known verb agapao, "love." [Word Meanings in the New Testament, Ralph Earle, p. 455]
It is translated "Beloved" also in Williams translation ESV/MOFF/ NET/PHILPS/HCSB/MSG/WUEST...AMP has both. Let’s keep in mind that the Bible teaches that we are both loved and sanctified so there is no need to make too much of this.
A PARENTAL LOVE
"20 He got right up and went home to his father. "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.' 22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time." Luke 15:20-24 (MSG)
Country singer George Strait sings a song entitled, "Love without End, Amen." It tells the story of a young boy coming home from school after having a fight and expecting punishment from his dad. Fully expecting the wrath of his father, the son waited, expecting the worst. However, the father said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love . . . Daddies don't just love their children every now and then . . . it's a love without end. Amen."
The young lad grew up and passed this secret on to his children. One day he dreamed that he died and went to heaven. He was concerned, as he waited to go in, because he realized there must be some mistake for if they knew half the things he's done they would never let him in. It was then that he heard his father's words again, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love . . . Daddies don't just love their children every now and then . . . it's a love without end. Amen." If you are God's child, then God's word clearly teaches that we have a Father like this!
A SACRIFICIAL LOVE
Jn. 3:16 says it all! See also Rom. 5:8
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport, killing 155 people. One survived: a four-year-old from Arizona named Cecelia. Cecelia survived because, even as the plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and then would not let her go. Such is the love of our Savior for us. He left heaven, lowered himself to us, and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body to save us.
IT IS AN ETERNAL LOVE
"Beloved" translates a perfect passive participle derived from the familiar verb agapao. The perfect tense indicates that God placed His love on believers in eternity past:
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, Ephesians 1:4-5
With the results, that the action continue in the present and into the future - a love that will never end!
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1
35 Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: 36 They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. 37 None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. 38 I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, 39 high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." Romans 8:35-39 (MSG)
If it's eternally past and eternally future - then it is eternally now! In his book Enjoying God, Lloyd Ogilvie writes:
"My formative years ingrained into my attitude toward myself: do and you'll receive; perform and you'll be loved. When I got good grades, achieved, and was a success, I felt acceptance from my parents. My dad taught me to fish and hunt and worked hard to provide for us, but I rarely heard him say, "Lloyd, I love you." He tried to show it in actions, and sometimes I caught a twinkle of affirmation in his eyes. But I still felt empty. When I became a Christian, I immediately became so involved in discipleship activities that I did not experience the profound healing of the grace I talked about theoretically....I'll never forget as long as I live the first time I really experienced healing grace. I was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. Because of financial pressures I had to accordion my studies into a shorter than usual period. Carrying a double load of classes was very demanding, and I was exhausted by the constant feeling of never quite measuring up. No matter how good my grades were, I thought they could be better. Sadly, I was not living the very truths I was studying. Although I could have told you that the Greek words for grace and joy are charis and chara, I was not experiencing them. My beloved professor, Dr. James Stewart, saw into my soul with x-ray vision. One day in the corridor of New College he stopped me. He looked me in the eye intensely. Then he smiled warmly, took my coat lapels in his hands, drew me down to a few inches from his face, and said, "Dear boy, you are loved now!" God loves us now, not when we get better, but now, as we are!
IT IS UNUSUAL LOVE
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1).
The expression rendered “how great” is from po-tap-os, which originally meant, “From what country?” It describes divine love as something that is alien to human beings and outside their natural realm of understanding—an other worldly kind of love—as if it were a concept from a foreign culture or unknown race. None of us love like God does - none of us, no not one!!! People do not usually love strangers; and they especially do not love their enemies (cf. Matt. 5:43-48). Yet, God chose to love sinners even when they were defiant sinners!
"1 It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. 2 You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. 3 We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. 4 Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, 5 he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! 6 Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah." Ephesians 2:1-6 (MSG)
Although believers did nothing to gain His affection (and, in fact, did everything to invite His wrath), the Father loves redeemed sinners with the same love that He has for His Son...that is unusual! Out of the mouth of babes, I came across this true story:
The mother of a 9 yr old boy named Mark received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. It was the teacher from her son's school. "Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your son's third-grade class. Your son did something that surprised me so much that I thought you should know about it. Nothing like
this has happened in all my years of teaching. This morning I was teaching a lesson on creative writing. And as I always do, I tell the story of the ant and the grasshopper: "The ant works hard all summer and stores up plenty of food. But the grasshopper plays all summer and does no work. Then winter comes. The grasshopper begins to starve because he has no food. So he begs, 'Please Mr. Ant, you have much food. Please let me eat, too.'" Then I said, "Boys and girls, your job is to write the ending to the story."Your son, Mark, raised his hand. 'Teacher, may I draw a picture?' "'Well, yes, Mark, if you like, you may draw a picture. But first you must write the ending to the story.' "As in all the years past, most of the students said the ant shared his food through the winter, and both the ant and the grasshopper lived. A few children wrote, 'No, Mr. Grasshopper. You should have worked in the summer. Now I have just enough food for myself.' So the ant lived and the grasshopper died. "But your son ended the story in a way different from any other child, ever. He wrote, 'So the ant gave all of his food to the grasshopper; the grasshopper lived through the winter. But the ant died.' "And the picture? At the bottom of the page, Mark had drawn three crosses." That is unusual - not as unusual as God love for us through Christ!
IT IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
It is a passive voice meaning that we do not give but receive! Kenneth Wuest is helpful, “The participle is in the perfect tense, speaking of a past complete act having present, and in a context like this, permanent results. The distinctive word for "love" here is the word for God's self-sacrificial love which was shown at Calvary. This love here is the outgoing of God's love for the saints in which He gives of Himself for their good. He will do anything
within His good will for the saints. He went all the way to Calvary for them when they were unlovely and naturally unlovable. He will do as much and more for His saints who in Christ are looked upon by God the Father with all the love with which He loves His Son. The perfect tense speaks here of the fact that the saints are the permanent objects of God's love. Jude is therefore writing to those who have been loved by God the Father with the present result that they are in a state of being the objects of His permanent love, and that love extends not merely through the brief span of this life, but throughout eternity. And then some dear children of God fear that they might be lost."
I have seen kids tease their dogs, pull their tails, even kick em and yet those dogs wagged their tails, licked their faces, expressed love regardless, that is just a dim picture of God's love for us!
6 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. 7 We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. 8 But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. 9 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. 10 If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! 11 Now that we have actually
received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!" Romans 5:6-11 (MSG)
All believers are Beloved in God! You say but I don't deserve it! I still sin! Yes...but the Father's love is based on placing you into Christ where you are forgiven and righteous, giving you eternal security and value! Here is a $10 bill. Who reading this book would like this $10 bill?" But what if this author crumples it up? Do you still want it? I am sure you would say, “Of course I want it!” But what if I throw it on the dirty ground and jump up and down on it – still want it? You bet! The lesson is that no matter what I do to this 10 bill, it is still worthy 10 dollars. In the same way, many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make to sin. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are loved by God. No, this is not an encouragement to sin but actually a motivation to obedience with the right motive.
We are Kept in, for, and by the Son of God. We have seen that we are Called by the Spirit of God; and Loved by God the Father; now we see we are Kept by the Son of God. In one of those Superman movies, Superman saves a man from a burning building. He rescues him from the top floor and is carrying him to safety by flying through the skies. The man looks at Superman and then looks down to the ground. "I'm scared, Superman. Look how far down that is." Superman replies, "Now if I delivered you from the burning fire, what makes you think I am going to drop you when I'm carrying you to safety?" If God has delivered us from a burning hell, what makes us think He will drop us before He safely puts you down in our heavenly home?
WE ARE PRESERVED
kept - expresses the idea of "to keep" with the sense of "preserve," in a number of different contexts this word refers to believers being kept or preserved for the coming of the Lord, the eternal inheritance for the people of God (1 Thess. 5:23; 1 John 5:18; Jude 1; 1 Pet. 1:4)." [Expository Dictionary of Bible Words]
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved [kept] complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23
"to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved [having been kept] in heaven for you," 1 Peter 1:4
"We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him." 1 John 5:18
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy," Jude 1:24
We are preserved, kept, guarded, watched over by God - you cannot get any securer then that. Carnell Taylor was working on a paving crew repairing the Interstate 64 bridge over the Elizabeth River in Virginia. The road was icy, and a pickup truck slid out of control and hit Taylor, knocking him off the bridge. He fell 70 feet and hit the cold waters of the river below. His pelvis and some of the bones in his face were broken. Joseph J. Brisson, the captain of a barge passing by at that moment, saw Taylor fall and quickly had to make a life-or-death decision. He knew Taylor would drown before he and his crew could launch their small boat and reach him. The numbingly cold water and strong currents of the river could kill him if he dived in to rescue Taylor. He had a family, and Christmas was three days away. Joseph decided to risk his life for a man he had never met. He dived into the river, swam to Taylor, and grabbed hold of him. "Don't worry, buddy," he said, "I got you." Brisson held Taylor's face above the water and encouraged him to keep talking. Then he took hold of a piece of wood in the water and slid it under Taylor to help keep him afloat. The current was too strong for them to swim to safety, and eventually the cold caused Brisson to lose his grip on Taylor. So Brisson wrapped his legs around the injured man's waist and held on. After nearly 30 minutes the crew from the barge was finally able to reach the two men and pull them from the water into the small boat. Taylor was hospitalized for broken bones. Joseph, the hero, was treated for mild hypothermia. He later told the Associated Press he knew what he had to do when he saw the man fall. "I have a family, I thought about that. But I thought about how life is very important. I'm a Christian man, and I couldn't let anything happen to him." Jesus is like that, He grabbed a hold of us in salvation and is not about to let us go! He is not going to let anything happen to you!
IT IS A PERFECT PARTICIPLE
kept - the verb is a perfect participle, "having been kept." It means that we are kept at a point in time, with the results that we are continually kept. If you have been kept in the past, then you will be kept throughout eternity!
IT IS RELATED TO CHRIST’S PRAYER
Same word found in John 17:11-12, 15.
"10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. John 17:10-12
""I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." John 17:15
Does God answer prayer? That’s what I’m talking about!
ANSWERED PRAYER IS RELATED TO OUR POSITION.
preserved in Christ - is a possible translation. We were born In Adam and now we are In Christ, speaking of our place of security. In Adam there was nothing but condemnation; but there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus! I loved to watch the Crocodile man, Steve Erwin. Once he had built a cage and placed it in shark infested waters. No matter how aggressive the sharks became, no matter how close, he was perfectly safe as long as he stayed in that cage! Spirit baptism placed us safely in Christ!
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:13
WE ARE SAVED FOR A PURPOSE
kept for Jesus Christ - NASB/AMB/ESV/WUEST
Not only is God our inheritance but we are His inheritance!
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," Ephesians 1:18
We are His possession!
"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" 1 Peter 2:9
WE ARE KEPT BY HIS POWER
kept by Jesus Christ – this is another possible translation. Jacob was kept by God where ever he went, so are we!
""Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:15
It is God's power that is keeping us alive at this moment. David confessed:
"O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit." Psalm 30:3
It is God's power that we are kept from sinning! God said to Abimelech:
"Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her." Genesis 20:6
"The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life." Psalm 121:7 (ESV)
"Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back." Isaiah 38:17
He is the one who keeps on giving us our daily food. Just like when Jesus fed the multitude, he feeds us individually day by day.
"Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people." Luke 9:16
The Lord is our keeper!
"5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night." Psalm 121:5-6
Christ's Ability - "He Is Able" Eph. 3:20
* He is able to save to the uttermost, for He lives to do it, therefore rest in Him and be glad—Heb. 7:25.
• He is able to make all grace to abound towards us, therefore be satisfied with Him, and be thankful—2 Cor. 9:8-11.
• He is able to give us the victory when tempted, therefore take Him as Victor, and be an overcomer—1 Cor. 10:13.
• He is able to keep us from falling, therefore lean upon Him and be upheld—Jude 24.
• He is able to shield us from harm, therefore abide in Him, and be at rest—Psa. 121:3-8.
• He is able to make us active, therefore let Him work effectively through us, and be useful—2 Tim. 1:12, R.V., margin.
• He is able to keep us always, therefore let Him tend us, and be fresh and sweet—Isa. 27:2, 3.
WE ARE KEPT BASED ON MANY PROMISES
• Undertakings Related to the Father:
(1) The Indisputable sovereign purpose of God, which is unconditional. John 3:16
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." John 5:24
"36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." John 6:36-37
(2) The Infinite power of God set free to save and keep.
"28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." John 10:28-29 (NASB)
(3) The Indescribable love of God.
"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be
holy and blameless before Him. In love." Ephesians 1:4
(4) The Influence on the Father of the prayer of the Son of God(cf. John 17:9-12, 15, 20).
• Undertakings Related to the Son:
(1) His substitutionary death. Rom. 8:1
"1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2
(2) His resurrection, securing a resurrection unto life for
believers.
"5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:5-6
(3) His advocacy, His intercession in heaven. 1 Jn. 2:2
"who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand
of God, who also intercedes for us." Romans 8:34
"Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make
intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25
"For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us;" Hebrews 9:24
• Undertakings Related to the Spirit:
(1) regeneration (partaking of the divine nature is entrance into that which cannot be removed;
"4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of
deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:4-5
(3) indwelling (He is given to abide forever and certainly by His presence the believer will be preserved;
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;" John 14:16
"and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5
(3) baptism (by which the believer is joined to Christ so as to share eternally in the New Creation glory and blessing;
"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." 1 Corinthians 6:17 See 1 Cor. 12:13.
(4) sealing (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13-14
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30
So, we are kept in, by, and for Jesus Christ, and what a blessing to be kept by God, have a spell, rejoice till you voice is hoarse! If you are in Christ, you are eternally secure!
Kept every day from morn tonight,
We know His promises are sure.
Kept by His truth, His power and might
No jot shall fail, while words endure.
Kept all the way from youth to age,
Thus far the Lord hath sheltered me.
Kept from the fangs of Satan's rage,
Safely we'll cross life's troubled sea.
Kept all these years by God's own hand,
To Him be praise and homage given.
Kept by His grace we'll hope to stand.
At evening time, in sight of Heaven.
Kept from the power of hell and sin.
Home of the pure in heart we'll see.
Kept by His love we'll here begin
The life that fills eternity.—Selected.
The Descriptive Greeting – the Prayer
MacDonald, "The greeting is peculiarly suited to those who were facing the onslaught of those whose aim was to subvert their faith. Mercy means God's compassionate comfort and care for His beleaguered saints in times of conflict and stress. Peace is the serenity and confidence that comes from reliance on God's word and from looking above the circumstances for the accomplishment foR His own purposes. Love is the undeserved embrace of God for His dear people - a super-affection that should then be shared with others."
If we grow in God's mercy, peace, and love - we can literally face any and everything life throws at us!
THE MULTIPLICATION
May...multiplied - goes together!
The Possibility
It is an optative mood, "The mood used in prayers, wishes and other instances to denote verbal action that is possible." [Pocket Dictionary for the Study of New Testament Greek]
The Passivity
It is in the passive voice, "The voice that conveys that the subject is being affected by or is the receiver of the verbal action." Pocket Dictionary for the Study of New Testament Greek.
The wish for Plenty
This verb, found in early Greek literature, has a basic meaning of “to be (or) become full.” Depending upon the context, various shades of meaning occur: “to increase in number, multiply, abound, grow, spread.” In Matthew 24:12 plethuno [play-thoo-no] is used to indicate the extent and spread of lawlessness.
"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." Matthew 24:12
In Acts, especially with reference to reports of the Church’s progress, the idea is that of numerical growth as a result of the proclamation of the Word:
"The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7
"So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase." Acts 9:31
"But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. Acts 12:24
There is a formula-use found in expressions of strong wishes or desires, e.g., “May the grace and peace of our Lord be yours in ever greater measure” (cf. 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Jude 2).
Spurgeon, "The benediction of the apostle is this, that this mercy, peace, and love may be multiplied to you. Is not that a beautiful word, "multiplied"?-not merely increased, but multiplied. You know what it is to increase; you add one to two, that is three; but when you multiply, you say, "Three times three, that is nine." Multiplying is a quick way of growing. Oh, that you had all these blessings multiplied, -that, if you have had mercy, you might have ten times as much mercy, -that, if you have had peace, you might have a deeper, fuller, richer, more abiding peace, multiplied peace, peace upon peace, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding;"-and that, if you have had love, your love might be multiplied, squared, cubed! May the biggest figures that can be found multiply your love, for never did any man yet have too much love to God, or too much of the right kind of love to his fellow-men! May the Lord make us to grow in grace, to be filled with grace, to have these three graces multiplied unto us!"
THE MANIFESTATION
[What do we desire to be multiplied?]
Mercy
mercy - God in His mercy does not give us what we deserve. Instead, He gave our punishment to His own Son on the cross.
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted." Isaiah 53:4
John MacArthur, "Whenever believers commit sin, they will always find an ample supply of mercy at God's throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). Paul told the Romans that God manifested “the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom. 9:23). The “vessels of mercy,” those sinners whom God has chosen for salvation, continually receive outpourings of His mercy, like cups or bowls that are constantly refilled with water."
"Mercy carries with it the Old Testament picture of God’s loving-kindness or compassion. God’s mercy helps believers day by day. Jude knew that the believers were facing difficult situations in the world—a society focused on selfish pleasure, ready to persecute believers at any provocation, with false teachers looking to tear the churches apart. Mercy helps believers in their times of need (Hebrews 4:16)." [Life Application New Testament Commentary]
Again Charles Spurgeon, "Beloved, may you have mercy! You will always want it, for even a saint is a sinner still. May you have the mercy that will continue to forgive your sin, the mercy that will continue to wash your feet from the defilement of the way! May you have the mercies of providence that will supply your need, the mercies that will sustain you under trial, the mercies that will lead you on from strength to strength! May you have much mercy, for you will want it; and, blessed be God, "He delighteth in mercy." Doctor Everett L. Worthington, Jr. is a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and has won recognition on the subject of forgiveness. Dr. Worthington dedicated seven years of his life studying the physiological effects of forgiveness and its benefits. One day after mailing off his manuscript outlining a step-by-step process of forgiveness, his own ability was sorely tested when his mother was murdered. Doctor Worthington recalls: "On New Year's Eve, 1995, my mother was murdered. At first, I did not want to forgive the murderer. I wanted to beat his head in. Mercifully, though, I believe God gave me the grace to forgive the murder even though the murderer was never brought to justice. It was not easy to forgive such a brutal murder. A youth bludgeoned my mother to death with a crowbar during a botched burglary. If he had been caught and convicted, that would have made forgiving easier. Justice would have soaked up some of the bitter tears. As I look back on that event, from the perspective of years past, I have seen what I never saw during my first couple of years. I have marveled at God's mercy to me."
Peace
It speaks of peace, harmony, tranquility, health. From the day of the Fall man has been at war, with God. On the eve of the Millennium, Sir Cliff Richard lit the "eternal flame" atop a giant revolving globe in Birmingham, England's Centenary Square to promote world peace and harmony. Dubbed "The Flame of Hope" the flame was to symbolize world peace as the year 2000 began. Like the Olympic torch, it was meant to burn forever. But in 2004, the sponsors stopped paying its 12,000 annual natural gas bill. Birmingham's City Council balked at paying the bills; it also argued that the flame contributed to global warming and suggested substituting a flame-effect electric light. The West Bromwich Building Society finally agreed to help pay for the cost of the flame as part of a 12-month sponsorship deal with Birmingham City Council. Man lacks even the ability to keep symbols of peace going - they even fight over peace! What a contrast with Christ - He alone, as Prince of Peace brings eternal peace to the believer.
Love
Love - Spurgeon, "Jude next wishes that we may have love; that is to say, first, a sense of the love of God shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost, a ravishing realization that God loves us with that everlasting love which knows no measure, nor change, nor end. May your heart dance at the very thought of the infinite love of God which he displays towards you! And then may you have love towards men, loving your neighbor as yourself with that compassionate love which is pictured in the parable of the Samaritan, that love which does not say, "Be ye warmed, and be ye filled," but which proves itself to be real by deeds of charity and acts of kindness! May you abound in love to God's people; may your love be exceeding abundant to those who are your brethren and sisters in Christ, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life! I wish, dear friends, that you and I could be suffused with love. One said of Basil that he was a pillar of light; I would not so much care for that comparison as to be a pillar of love. Look at holy John; next to his Master, surely, and chiefly so because he abounded in love."
Few things more encouraging then realizing that God loves us!
Max Lucado wrote in "A Gentle Thunder, "There are many reasons God saves you: to bring glory to Himself, to appease His justice, to demonstrate His sovereignty. But one of the sweetest reasons God saved you is because He is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best thing to come down the pike in quite a while... If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. And the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem? Face it, friend. He's crazy about you!”
S. Maxwell Coder summarizes:
"There is an upward look in the word mercy, an inward look in the word peace, and an outward look in the word love. These three related us properly to God, to our own inner being, and to our brethren around us. When they are multiplied, and only then, will we be able to cope with the great apostasy."
No matter what we are facing - we can face it with God's mercy, peace, and love. Living in a time torn with bitterness, uncertainty and difficulty, which followed the Civil War, John Greenleaf Whittier knew of one resource in which he could put his trust—
Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
And tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!
I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.
I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.
—The Eternal Goodness
Johnny A Palmer Jr.
