“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)
Lesson 2 - Jude
Jude 1-2 NIV
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: (2) Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
In verse one we find clues as to who Jude was. First, he calls himself servant or in the Greek doulos which means slave. Jude regards himself as having only one object and one distinction in life – to be at the disposal of Jesus for service. Upon looking at our lives do we have only one object and distinction in life? Is it to be at the disposal of Jesus for service? Think about the last week in what ways did we do that?
Second, Jude is content to be second place. He was not nearly so well known as James. Jude might well have been resentful of his well know brother, James, in whose shadow he had to live. But by the way the letter is titled we know he gladly takes second place. Is there any resentment towards family members in my heart? How do I feel about taking second place in anything and why?
According to this verse we have been called. The word Jude uses here for to call is kalein as with most Greek words is has a variety of meaning and each fits the Christian. It is the word for summoning a person to office, to duty and to responsibility. When placed with the first part of the verse that means we are summoned to office, duty, responsibility to be at the disposal of Jesus for service. As Christians we are not just called for lip service but for life service. Kalein is, also, the word for summoning a person to a feast or festival, a happy occasion. Today, realize you and I are summoned to the joy of being the guest of God!!!! I can’t even begin to grasp how the creator of the universe desires to invite me to be his guest, yet He does. Praise the Lord! This word also means to be summoned to judgment. It is the word the people of Jude’s day used to call a person to court that he may give account of himself. We, in the end, will be summoned to appear before Christ to do the same.
Loved by God, what an incredible statement. The call to us is the call to be loved and to love. God calls us to a task, but it is an honor to serve one who loves us so much. God calls us to a service of fellowship not of tyranny because of love. Then we are kept by Christ. We are never alone! Jesus is always with us, in good times and bad. NEVER ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Information from “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay
