“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 NIV)

 

Lesson #12

Is our final lesson and we’ve been saying it aloud (when possible) since we began. Let’s say it one more time.

 

   Jude comes to an end with PRAISE!! Here in these last two verses of this incredible letter we see God is able! How often do I end my conversations about God with praise?

      God is able to keep us from slipping, the Greek word is aptaistos. It is used both of a sure-footed horse which does not stumble and of a man who does not fall into error. To walk with the Lord is to walk safely. Recently, on a board retreat, I had the pleasure of learning to repel off the side of a rock wall properly. Back in the seventies I experienced this in a most dangerous and improper method which I will not detail here, since my Mother may be reading and would have a heart attack. By repelling properly, I was attached with strong ropes, pulleys and a harness; I was given instruction from two skilled mountaineer’s one from the top and one below. As I began to go over the edge I cried out “Belay (safety) on,” resistance was applied by the person at the bottom. My feet stayed secure, they did not slip, and even though my heart was pounding, I knew I was safe, sure footed and had no trouble descending down the side of a drop off! God keeps us from slipping, He is up above and down below, He knows what’s going on, He’s experienced, He “knows the ropes”, we really can trust Him. If we are depending on Him our feet will not stumble, even during the “over the edge” times. Have you ever felt like you were slipping over the edge, with no safety mechanism? What happened in those times did you lean into the Lord? Or crash to the bottom?

    God is able to make us stand blameless in the presence of His glory. The word used here is amōmos. This is a sacrificial word; and is commonly and technically used of an animal without spot or blemish fit to be offered to God. The amazing thing is when we surrender ourselves totally and completely to God, His grace makes us that pure sacrifice for Him. I meet far too many people who have difficulty with this concept. They really struggle with seeing themselves as God sees them, pure and whole because of Jesus. That is why Jesus died, that is why His blood was shed - to reconcile us to God, to make us righteous, to give us new life and to restore us to wholeness. And that, my dear friends, is how God Almighty looks at you and at me, think about it…NO WONDER JUDE PRAISES!

   God is able to bring us into His Presence jubilant, overjoyed, and triumphant. By the work of Jesus Christ, we know that we can go to God with all fear and shame banished. Through Jesus, God the stern Judge has become known to us as God the loving Father. Jude purposely attaches the word Savior to God here. So we end with the great certainty that in this world we live in the love of God and in the next we go to that love. To steal a phrase from Max Lucado, “No Wonder They Call Him Savior.” Resources: “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay, information on repelling from Derek & Rhonda Coulter

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

Study #11

“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 #11

Vs 20-23 (Revised Standard Version)

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And convince some, who doubt; 23 save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Vs 20 -23 (The Message)

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

    Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.

 

Jude contrasts the behavior of the faithful with that of the opponents. Here he describes the characteristics of the faithful.

     The faithful build up life on the foundation of the most holy faith. The life of the Christian is found, not on something which we manufacture but on something we have received. The faith first came from Jesus to the apostles, the apostles to the church and now the church to us. We are community, as Christians we are sooooooo much bigger than self, our opinions, our belief systems, etc. Where have I received what I believe?

    The faithful are people of prayer. The essence of Christianity is our total dependence on God, and prayer is acknowledging that dependence. We must pray, we must take everything to God because without Him we are nothing. How often do I go through the day without seeking God’s help? And when we pray we pray in the Holy Spirit, in other words our human prayers will be selfish and blind. It is only when the Holy Spirit takes full possession of us that our desires are purified and our prayers are right. Have I surrendered every part of my life to the Holy Spirit?

     The faithful keep themselves in the love of God. Jude uses wording here to remind his readers of the covenant relationship between God and his people as described in Exodus 24: 1-8. That covenant was two sided, God would be God to his people and they would love and obey Him. Love and obedience cannot be separated! Do I ever express love for the Lord and then willfully act in disobedience?

    The faithful wait with expectation. We know that Christ’s purpose for us is to reconcile us in this life and bring us into eternal life with God himself. Do I realize the abundant life Christ promises now and the eternal life to come?

    As Christians we have a binding duty to reach out to anyone that is lost, regardless of who they are, where they are, what they have done, etc. Jude gives us three examples.

“Those who doubt” These folks flirt with falsehood. They are attracted by wrong teachings and they believe error. They hesitate when given truth. We must urge them into truth with patience and love. We must be ready to defend the faith and give a reason for the hope that is in us. Can I describe out loud the hope that is in me? We must ban all arrogance and intolerance from our approach to others. I really do attempt not to get on a soapbox but I hate people who argue the faith as “my way or the highway.” As Christians we really do believe “no one can come to the Father except through the Son” but do we express that in love through invitation or are we in fighting stance?

      We must be ready to speak in time. We must be ready to “snatch them from the flames.” This phrase particularly interests me because I’m a volunteer firefighter. As firefighters we train for, but pray that the day never comes, where we pull up on a fire and have someone trapped inside a building. But on that day there is no doubt that we will walk into those flames. But we don’t do it blind or unprepared! We will go because we have prepared: hours of training; bunker gear; fire trucks; breathing apparatus; hoses; axes; water; on and on the list goes. We will take all of that knowledge and all of the equipment possible and only then plunge into the burning house to search, find and then literally drag that person to safety. I had to stop typing for awhile, for I am so overcome with conviction. Do I really go after the lost this way?? Do you?? What if I saw my family members or friends or children or whomever in a burning house would I stand by and let them burn? Lord, help us to see those who don’t know you as victims trapped in a burning building. And by that I don’t just mean hell, if people don’t know Christ, they don’t know true peace, contentment, wholeness in life, much less eternal things. Have I spent hours in training (the Word and prayer) do I possess equipment (the church) so that when I go in to rescue I am not burned? Do I realize even with everything done right when fighting a fire it can still be risky, therefore, we must have great courage? Lord, help me and those who read this study to really evaluate our attitude toward the lost, our time spent in preparation, and our courage to “snatch them from the flames.”  Amen.

     When we think in these terms that last phrase in verse 23 makes perfect sense, “hate the sin but love the sinner.” We are never to hate the sinner, no matter what the sin, that can be very difficult. As a matter of fact without God, it is impossible. We must also remember that it is sin that causes all the pain, sadness, hate, war, bad in our world, not God? Have you ever heard someone say God caused (something cruel)? We must remember that all evil and bad is in and part of our world because of sin, period. Even when God may take us to the woodshed, it’s because of sin. Do I really hate sin? Don’t answer that too quick…

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

Comments on Lesson #10

 

 

Hello Everyone,

After lesson #10 this comment was made, “If a sin is justified correctly, it is no longer a sin.”

I asked you for responses and this is what came in. I purposely did not identify the senders so enjoy freely. J

Thank you, thank you for your thoughts, don’t ever hesitate with them. This is not a “you’re right or wrong,” it’s a piece of a journey we are truly on together. May the Lord bless you on this road. Nancy

 

Responses

Nancy -

In answer to the question about justification of sin, I have come across the following quote, that really helps me with the whole issue of what I should and shouldn't do:

 And when you have this intention to please God in all your actions as the happiest and best thing in the world, you will find in you as great an aversion to everything that is vain and impertinent in common life, whether of business or pleasure, as you now have to anything that is profane -- William Law – “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” -- Sincerity of Intention -- 1728

 

Nancy,

This question is based on a false premise.  It assumes that sin may possibly actually be "justified correctly".  That is like requiring someone to ONLY answer 'yes' or 'no'.  Then asking if he has stopped beating his wife.  Either answer is an admission of guilt of past or current action.

 

Nancy,

Just because we can justify something(sin) in our mind, does it take on a different form, shape, or become less sinful just because we can justify it? ANYTHING can become justified if we keep asking the right question. What I mean by that is as simple as, "Should I get my hair cut shorter or change the color?" All I have to do is keep asking the same question to different friends/people till I find that ONE person who thinks as I do, then I have the validation(or justification)that I have been looking for. Just my opinion

 

Now, here’s the Nancy take…

Jeremiah 17: 10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” We understand that Jeremiah gives this phrase following the contrast of those people who trust in self, others, worldly anything verses those who trust God. The definition of justify from The Grosset Webster Dictionary is “1) To show reason for; vindicate; prove to be right.” Here’s where the rubber is going to meet the road… How do we trust God rather than self, others, worldly anything? What measurement do we use “to show reason for; vindicate; prove right.” The only way to do this is to have a standard. And if our standard is God then what we have is the Word; only then we can see if tradition matches the Word, if so we can use it; then we see if reason matches the Word, if so we can use it; and then we see if experience matches the Word, if so we can use it. If any of these areas are contrary to the scripture we must not use them for it then becomes a thing of trusting self, others, the world. I am convinced when or if we need to “justify” anything we use the test of Scripture, reason, experience, tradition then it will become clear if our heart is deceiving us or if we are just seeking to know truth. It is o.k. to question beliefs, or whether something is sin or not, but it must be done using a standard and starting point, which is Scripture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

#10 Comments

Hello Everyone,

Here are a couple of comments I received back. I hope they are helpful or spur more dialog.

Blessings,

Nancy

 

 

 

Lesson #10 Questions/Comments

Nancy, another thing I struggle with is the placement we put on material things. I believe in having just what I need, but I become drawn in to feeling I need more because I feel inferior. My wife and I discuss this and always bring it back into the proper perspective. I still feel it pulling my thoughts. I know I need nothing to stand in front of the Lord, but I struggle and need to remind myself.  This may be a division with in churches and I believe these are things Jude is warning us about. 

Dear Brother in the Lord,

If an individual succumbs to materialism, they carry quilt. The Lord died so we could live victorious and guilt free. Therefore, if we carry guilt into the functions of the church it can be a negative influence causing division.

If an individual succumbs to materialism, it may cause problems in the marriage and home. This causes division in the church because when there is a problem between a husband and wife, the children always know, and then entire family comes into the church setting and covers up their problems, therefore, falsehood is what they present. To really be united we must be real and authentic. This is the one place where there should be no masks, no cover ups and truth prevails.

If an individual succumbs to materialism then their tithes & offerings often suffer, lack of proper funding in the church can definitely cause division.

If an individual succumbs to materialism then they often place a higher value on or give more respect to people who have more wealth or “things.” This causes division in the community of faith by forming cliques and bias’.

     The good news is we can allow the Holy Spirit to indwell us, cleanse us and transform us into the image of Christ. Materialism may continue to be a temptation but we can defeat it by prayer, reading the Word, sharing in the community of faith and sometimes physically fleeing what ever is tempting us. The power of Jesus’ presence in our lives gives us the power to choose, to say no, and to have strength against anything that may cause division in our lives and in our church.

 

 

Nancy, If a sin is justified correctly, it is no longer a sin.

I would like to get your thoughts on this one, then I will comment. Remember, at some point we’ve all practiced justification, so no stone throwing. J

Thanks, Nancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

“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 #9

Vs 12-16 (The Message)

These people are warts on your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They’re giving you a black eye – carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down. They’re puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind; late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit, doubly dead, pulled up by the roots; wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach but the foam of their shame; lost stars in outer space on their way to the black hole.

Enoch, the seventh after Adam, prophesied of them: “Look! The Master comes with thousands of holy angels to bring judgment against them all, convicting each person of every defiling act of shameless sacrilege, of every dirty word they have spewed of their pious filth.” They are the “grumpers,” the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie, talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.”

 

    These verses give a description of the opponents that highlights the serious danger they pose... Their participation defiles the communal meals of the church. The term love feasts (agapais) can be defined as common meals eaten by early Christians in connection with their church services, for the purpose of fostering and expressing brotherly love. Jude does not specify clearly what the offensive behavior is in which they are indulging, he just simply says they eat together “without reverence” (aphobōs). Jude accuses these false teachers of only caring about themselves at the meals. That accusation anticipates the later charge of creating divisions within the community (vs 19). Since the very phrase used actually means “shepherding themselves,” it is the same accusation used in Ezekiel 34:2. The false shepherds of Israel do not feed the sheep but themselves. These evil folk were preying on the innocent. They were taking advantage of the church and its people, pure selfishness. Now, for the most part the people reading this study are Christians, so it is to us that Jude writes, are there people in our congregation that are preying on the innocent? If so, we must put a stop to it, we must be bold. There are ways to address evil people in the church, Matthew 18: 15-20 gives us much insight into how that should happen.

      But I want to go a different direction, I feel each of us need to evaluate the fellowship times we have in our own congregations. Why do we have fellowship meals, what is the real reason for them?

    Let’s return to the concept of “love feast,” it was a meal held on the Lord’s Day. Everyone brought what he could, and all shared alike. In this “love feast” was true safety, no one was seen as rich, poor, gentile (un-churched), Jew (churched), no race, no ethnicity, all equal, all one in Christ. As a matter of fact, for many of the slaves in Jude’s day it was perhaps the only decent meal they ever ate. Today, our fellowships may be the only place where some people can attend that is not permeated with sin, filth, loneliness, and hate. It may be the only decent place where they have ever been accepted without conditions or bias. Now, look at our fellowship dinners, who are they for? Is it a safe place for the poor, the rich, the un-churched, the churched, are all equal? Is everyone accepted with NO conditions, bias, prejudice or judgment? Or has it become a place for our little church cliques? If you are reading this today and do not feel perfectly comfortable at a church dinner PLEASE send back a comment as to why. It would do us all good to read those.

     Oh my dear brothers and sisters, it is my heart cry that all are welcome in our churches (that’s easy we all can accept that one); and in our fellowships (gets a little harder to befriend someone and have them sit by you and eat); yes, even our intimate circles (here’s where the rubber meets the road, do we really accept them as brethren/family)! May the dirty, drunken, defeated, destitute, empty, intelligent, atheist, wealthy, pierced, tattooed, gay/lesbian, AIDS victim, whatever … ALL find love and acceptance with us. And who are we… the people who claim to be followers of Jesus… Jesus, who was from Nazareth (the arm pit of Israel), homeless, poor, forsaken, often hungry, cursed, thrown out of the church, beat up, dirty, bloody and  murdered. Holy Spirit, help us to see our own attitude toward the acceptance of others regardless of who or what they are. Help us to see them as you do. Forgive us for our fear, our lack of love, and our high view of ourselves. Amen.

Resources: from “Interpretation Commentary Jude by Pheme Perkins; “Beacon Bible Commentary – Jude” by Delbert Rose; and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

 

Question/Comment on lesson #8

“This is interesting, because I have had conversations with people like this and I feel them drawing me into their act. The constant reminder that brings me back is, the question “is that what I want to be?”  I try to understand but this is a constant struggle to try and help the person who speaks instead of ignoring them. Especially when it is directed towards me.”

 

Wow, you have spoken for all of us. I’m sure, at some point, we are all guilty of having been drawn into the conversation or even becoming the “blow hard” ourselves. Yet, I believe it is the Holy Spirit who checks us with that very question, “is that what I want to be?” At that point, we can evaluate ourselves, the situation, pray for forgiveness if needed and next time be even more sensitive to His voice. Now addressing a person who’s blowing and going on about something they don’t really understand. Sometimes, with some people, you can intervene in the conversation and re-direct it or even make corrections. Remember arguing never works, it didn’t even work with Paul.  But be wary, there are people who will tell you the sky is pea green and no amount of proof will convince them the sky is blue. It is to these people Jude speaks to and warns us about. When the “blowing” is directed at us, we must consider who is saying it and why they may be saying it. Are they upset or angry, do they want to hurt us, are they very insecure? Once, to the best of our ability, we’ve considered them, then we can attempt to correct their statements. As I said, there will always be some people who will not receive correction, in that situation we simply pray the Lord will help them see His truth and help us not to be hurt.