Jude: A Message of Hope
The Book of Jude
Greetings from Jude
1 This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. [*]
2 May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.
The Danger of False Teachers
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus[*] first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 7 And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.
8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.[] 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels,[] did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11 What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.
12 When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. [*] They are like shameless
shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.
14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[*]
16 These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
A Call to Remain Faithful
17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, [*] 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22 And you must show mercy to [] those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, [] but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. [*]
A Prayer of Praise
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
Hope In Jesus
Does this happen to you? You struggle, you try your best, but still you sin. And the first thing someone does is condemn you. Maybe they don’t mean to offend you, maybe they think they’re helping; but all they do is make you feel guilty.
Let me make this perfectly clear; this book is not referring to you! This book is referring to people who intentionally sin, believing that grace has given them the right to behave any way they choose. They are like unlearned beasts who return to their previous way of life and tell themselves they’re Christians. The Bible tells us that in the last days people will have a form of godliness but will deny the power thereof.
This book is for you, to warn you what to avoid, not to condemn you. This is a book of hope! Jude is writing to you my friend, hoping to warn you about what is happening in the world today. He wants to make sure you know that there are deceivers out there who will stop at nothing in order to confuse you, to worry you, to make you powerless. Because let’s face it, you are a threat. Any person who knows how to pray is a threat to the evil present in the world today.
Government can’t stop evil; laws do not stop evil. There is only one thing that can, the power that resides within you. Your prayer can and will stop evil in its tracks. You can move mountains, you can change circumstances, you can lay down at night in peace. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but love, power and a sound mind.
If your heart is pure toward God, if you are consciencely believing in God, and His son Jesus Christ you have nothing to fear. You have the promise of The Apostle John, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
God really isn’t much interested in our actions. It's our hearts that He pays attention to. Many people are still hung up on trying to fulfill the law of the old covenant; they either have forgotten the concept of grace or never knew it to begin with. If you fall short, all it means is you are living in a fallen world and sometimes you miss the mark.
So, don’t let others condemn you when you miss that mark. Pick yourself up, ask for forgiveness and move forward. Don’t let anyone lay extra burdens on your, demanding you follow rituals and traditions. Know this, your salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned, nor is it kept through works. Remember Galatians Chapter 3;
“1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced [*] so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?”
Here is your word from God today, if salvation can’t be earned by works, it cannot be kept by works. Good or bad; your heart is the important thing. A person who knowingly continues to sin without remorse is deceiving himself; but a person who humbles himself before God is exalted. Heaven is a real place, and I’m sure you don’t want to miss it. The message you heard in the beginning is still just as true today; believe in Jesus, depend on His work to save you, not your own.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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