But You Dear Friends, By Building Yourselves Up In Your Most Holy Faith And Praying In The Spirit, Keep Yourselves In God's Love
The Message Of Jude
JUDE 1:20-23
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
”Jude 1:20-23 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/jud.1.20-23.nkj
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Jude warns us to stay close to God. By being obedient to God’s word, trusting Him, and regularly praying in the Spirit, we will keep ourselves, just as Jesus said, in the love of God (JOHN 15:10), and the mercy of Christ Jesus.
We believers, as a part of our obedience to Christ, have a duty to witness to others the Lord Jesus Christ, that they might be saved from God’s coming judgement too.
God wants no one to perish, but for all to come to Him in repentance (2 PETER 3:9).
We can only do this through compassion and kindness-hating the sin that holds them, but loving (caring for) the person; seeing past the sinful nature we all have, looking for the good in them; speaking the truth without insult out of love not judgement, with the hope of repentance.
We must be careful, when finding common ground with those to whom we witness, that we do not slip back into the darkness by involving in their sin, being certain that we remain obedient to God’s word, standing on solid ground, that we are not drawn into their sin whilst pulling them out of the fire of darkness.
Unbelievers, no matter how successful they are by worldly standards, or how nice they seem, are lost and are in need of salvation.
Be certain that their worldly successes do not influence you, drawing you back into the quick sand of compromise that leads to death.
But rather, keep yourself safe in the love of God through relationship with Him and obedience.
Whilst we all have needs, everything of this world is temporary, it cannot offer more than Christ. He must be seen as the sole source of our provision and successes.
Jesus told us, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 NKJV.
There is no success that can match the success Jesus brings. The truth is, worldly success is temporary, and the fruit it brings is temporary-temporary joy, temporary peace, and a false sense of security.
The love of Christ is eternal and with it comes eternal joy, eternal peace and eternal security. God’s peace surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds through Christ (PHILIPPIANS 4:7).
But God, whilst He is a God of love, is a God of justice. We believers are saved by His grace, but grace can never overrule justice.
Repentance is to turn from sin toward God. To stop involving in all sinful practices and become obedient to Christ.
Their will always be consequences for our actions, both good and evil. If one continues to live a life of sin, He will suffer the consequences, though it as encouraging to know, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1-4 NKJV
But the truth is, we can do nothing good in the flesh, by our own strength; we need the helper , the Holy Spirit to lead us through every step of our walk (see JOHN 14:15-18).
My beloved, you can only receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through faith, commitment and repentance.
Therefore, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.””
Acts 2:38-39 NKJV
Having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, you still have free will. You can choose your walk, your way by the leading of your flesh, or Jesus way, by the leading of the Spirit.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:16-26 NKJV
My brethren, I tell you again, “”Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV
My beloved, Jesus told us, ““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
Jude's message is a very important message to all people, for those without faith can never find life everlasting. They go through life according to the lust of their flesh, grumbling and complaining, never experiencing God’s peace and joy, for without faith, it is impossible to please God (HEBREWS 11:6).
I call out to all unbelievers, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.”
Psalms 34:8-9 NKJV
God always makes a way for those who diligently seek Him.
“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”
Jude 1:5-25 NKJV
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
