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Jude 1:22-25

Sunday Morning Bible Study

March 17, 2013

Introduction

Do people see Jesus?   Is the gospel preached?   Does it speak to the broken hearted?   Does it build up the church?   Milk – Meat – Manna   Preach for a decision   Is the church loved?

Today we finish working our way through this little letter written by one of Jesus’ half-brothers.

Jude is apparently the youngest of Mary’s five sons.

Play “Hey Jude” clip

We mentioned last week that Jude’s main theme is his concern for the false teachers that were beginning to crop up in the church. We read in verse 3

(Jud 3 NKJV) Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

:20-23 Healthy Faith

At the end of his letter, Jude turns to his readers and challenges them about how they are to live their lives in the light of these false teachers that can creep into the church.

Sometimes we can get so worried about the “false teachers” that we can neglect our own walk with the Lord.

I’ve seen this among friends who become so focused on becoming the world’s greatest heresy hunters that their own lives can fall apart.

Jude started with having his readers work on their own lives first.

(Jud 20–21 NKJV) —20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

:20-21 … building yourselves … keep yourselves …

Lesson

Fix Me First

We will talk a little about how we deal with false teaching, but notice that Jude wants us to pay attention to ourselves first.  We need to take care of our own faith first.
Jesus taught this principle when He talked about judging others.
(Mt 7:1–5 NKJV) —1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Sometimes we misunderstand Jesus’ teaching and think that we are to never, ever criticize another person.  But that wasn’t Jesus’ point.

Jesus’ point was not that you never deal with the splinter in your brother’s eye.  His point was that you learn to deal with what’s in your own eye first.

Sometimes we are just blind to our own problems.
Would you consider asking this person to give you voice lessons?
Play Bad Idol Audition clip
Before you launch out on your quest to fix the world, you better be sure you take a good long look in the mirror and think about what you are criticizing others about.
Try making a list of the things you find wrong in the lives of other people.

Think about what’s wrong with our world.

Think about what’s wrong with people at work or school.

Think about what’s wrong in the members of your family.

Sometimes the very thing we are most critical of others is the thing that we struggle with.
Before Jude gets into “fixing” people, he has already told us that we need to be building ourselves up, praying, looking to Jesus’ coming, and keeping ourselves in the love of God.  Then …

:22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;

:23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

:22 have compassion – eleeo – to have mercy on; to help one afflicted or seeking aid; to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched

Present active imperative

:22 making a distinction – diakrino – to separate, make a distinction, discriminate, to prefer; to learn by discrimination, to try, decide; to withdraw from one, desert; to separate one’s self in a hostile spirit, to oppose, strive with dispute, contend; to be at variance with one’s self, hesitate, doubt

Present middle participle

Some Greek texts have this in the nominative case, describing the one having compassion (translated “making a distinction”
Other Greek texts have it in the accusative case, describing the “some” upon whom there should be compassion (translated “who are doubting”)

NAS “who are doubting” (as is also NLT, ESV, NIV)

:23 fear – phobos – fear, dread, terror

en phobo – by fear

:23 save – sozo – to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction

Present active imperative

:23 out of the fire

Probably talking about snatching them from hell.

Like a fireman saving a person from a fire.

:23 pulling them out – harpadzo – to seize, carry off by force; to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly; to snatch out or away

Present active participle

:23 hating – miseo – to hate, pursue with hatred, detest

:23 defiled – spiloo – to defile, spot

Perfect passive participle

:23 the garment – chiton – a tunic, an undergarment, usually worn next to the skin, a garment, a vestment

It was a closely fitting under-garment, usually worn next the skin. At times, especially in working, it was the only garment worn.

:22-23 on some … but others…

Jude is giving his readers instructions on how to handle these false teachers and their followers.

There are some people that need to be treated with compassion.

There are others who could stand to have a little of the “fear of the Lord” put into their lives, to be reminded that hell is real and you don’t want them to go there.

Lesson

Big Tool Belt

There are people that need “fixing”.
Sometimes the key to “fixing” things is to have the right tools.
Play Home Improvement Tools clip
A home repairman doesn’t fix everything with the same tool.
Fixing people is similar.
We have to have many tools in our tool belts and learn what tool is right each situation.
I love to watch a real craftsman work.
I love to see his choice of tools and the skill he has at using his tools.
What do you use to turn a screw?  A screwdriver.
What do you use to cut a 2x4?  A handsaw will do.

You don’t use a saw to turn a screw.

You don’t use a screwdriver to cut a piece of wood.

Some people need compassion.
Play The Adulterous Woman clip from the Gospel of John (John 8:1-11)
Jesus had compassion on this woman.  He offered her forgiveness.  He rescued her.

Some people don’t need to hear about how bad they are and the hell they are facing.  They already know it.  They just need compassion.

Some people need the fear of God.  Later in the very same chapter in John …
Play Jesus challenges the Jews clip from the Gospel of John (John 8:41-47)
Jesus did not have the same kind of compassion on those who argued with Him in the Temple as He did with the woman.

Some people need a firm hand and hard words.

The people Jesus had the harshest words for were the religious people who weren’t open to Him.

People like to talk about how gentle Jesus was, but nobody talked more about hell than Jesus.

The trouble comes when we mix up the tools in our tool belts and use the wrong tools for the situation we’re in.
Being careless with the tools you have can be dangerous.

Play Allstate Mayhem Lawnmower clip

Learn to use all the tools in God’s tool belt.

It’s sad when we rebuke the person who needs compassion.
It’s dangerous when we show restraint to a person who needs a strong word.

I have to admit I don’t have this all down pat.  I’m learning too.

:24-25 Doxology

:24 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,

:25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

:24 to Him who is able – dunamai – to be able, to be capable, strong and powerful

Present deponent participle

God has certain “abilities”.  Jude tells us that God “is able” to do two things:

1) To keep me (from stumbling)
2) To present me (faultless)

:24 to keep – phulasso – to guard; to watch, keep watch

Aorist active infinitive

:25 able to keep you from stumbling

from stumbling – aptaistos – not stumbling, standing firm

He is able to keep us in a “not stumbling” posture.

Literally,

God has the ability to keep me in a place of “not stumbling”.

The Greek is important here – this isn’t saying that God will magically stop my fall once I’ve stumbled.  It means that God will keep me in a place labeled “not stumbling”.

Lesson

He is able to help

He has the ability to keep me from stumbling.
He has the ability to keep me from doing stupid things like sinning.
But if He is able to keep me from stumbling, how come I stumble?
Because I’m stupid.
Play “Pants on Fire” clip
If you are stupid enough to light your pants on fire, do you think God is going to magically put the fire out?
Solomon wrote,

(Pr 6:27 NKJV) Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

If I am stupid enough to load my brain up with pornographic images, do you think God is obligated magically NOT allow me to do something stupid?
If I am stupid enough to hang out with people who are drinking or doing drugs, do you think God is obligated to magically make my desire for drugs to go away?
God having the “ability” to “keep” me in a place of “not stumbling” is tied to whether or not I’m willing to make the right choices in my life, then God is going to support me in making the right choices.
The challenge for me is:  Will I trust Him enough to do the right thing?
Or am I going to be stupid and give in to the temptation?
In the book of Daniel (Daniel 3), three young men faced a difficult choice.
Nebuchadnezzar the king had made a new law that everyone was supposed to bow down to his new golden statue.  He even put together a worship band, so that when the band played, everyone was supposed to bow down to this statue.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego weren’t about to bow down to anyone other than God.
The problem was that Nebuchadnezzar added a little penalty if you didn’t bow to his statue – you would be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.
When Shadrach and his friends refused to bow down, they were brought before the king and warned about the burning fiery furnace.
(Da 3:17–18 NKJV) —17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Their confidence was that God “was able” to deliver them.

And even if God didn’t “deliver them” the way they were hoping, they would still not bow down.

They were sold on doing the right thing.

What happened to them?  They actually got thrown into the fiery furnace.  And God kept them safe INSIDE the furnace.  Not the way I would have planned it.  But God kept them in their “not stumbling” place.

They made the right choices.

They didn’t make the wrong choices and blame it on their circumstances or blame it on God.

God is able to keep us from stumbling.
He will provide you with the strength to do the right thing if you will trust Him.
So we will choose to obey Him and draw on His strength.

:24 able … to present you faultless

:24 to present – histemi – to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set; in the presence of others, in the midst, before judges

Aorist active infinitive

:24 Before the presence – katenopion – over against, before the face of, before the presence of, in the sight of, before

:24 glory – doxa – opinion, judgment, view; in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, and glory; splendor, brightness

with exceeding joy – agalliasis (“much” + “leaping”) – exultation, exuberant joy, gladness

When we are in His presence and find ourselves “faultless” we will be extremely happy.

faultless – amomos (“not” + “blemish”) – without blemish; faultless, unblameable

At feasts, people were anointed with the oil of gladness. Paul, in Heb 1:9, is alluding to this inaugural ceremony of anointing, and uses it as an emblem of the divine power and majesty to which to which the Son of God has been exalted.

(Ps 45:7 NKJV) —7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

(Heb 1:9 NKJV) —9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

He is able to get us to the finish line in a “faultless” condition.

Lesson

Faultless

In one sense, that cleansing comes the moment you accept Christ as your Savior.
Before Jesus, our sin is like a big “spot” in our lives.

(Is 64:6 NKJV) But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags

God wants to clean the spots from our lives.

(Is 1:18 NKJV) “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

God removes our spots by putting them on Jesus, who died to pay for our sins.

(2 Co 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

If you want this cleansing from God, you must come to God and ask for forgiveness.

(1 Jn 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God is “able” to present you faultless, but you have a part in it.  You must confess and believe.

When you do this, God makes you clean.

(2 Co 5:17 NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In God’s eyes, in heaven, you are now clean.

In another sense, there is a cleansing that is continually at work in your daily life.
It’s not just about having forgiveness in heaven, but a clean life on earth.
(Eph 5:25–27 NKJV) —25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (faultless)

Jesus is at work in us to “sanctify” (make holy) and “cleanse” us with the washing of His Word.

As you spend time in God’s Word, it challenges you, it brings out your faults, it reminds you to change, and it washes your mind.

God’s goal is to remove all the spots and wrinkles.

I know I played this clip just two months ago, but I can’t think of a better way to illustrate what God does in our lives…

Play “Extreme Photoshop Makeover” clip.

The one thing I want to add, is that there needs to be a willingness on my part, in this life, to let God do His “makeover”.  I need to partner with God to see the changes made.

Paul was confident that God would complete this work in our lives.

(Php 1:6 NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

God is “able” to do this work of spot removal in our lives, but again, I have a responsibility in this – I need to learn to obey Him.

:25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise

The word order in the Greek is:

To the only wise God our savior

:25 alone – monos – alone (without a companion), only

:25 wise – sophos – wise, skilled, an expert

:25 Savior – soter – savior, deliverer, preserver

:25 glory – doxa – opinion, judgment, view; in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, and glory; splendor, brightness

:25 majesty – megalosune – majesty

from megas, “great”

:25 Dominion – kratos – force, strength; power, might: mighty with great power; dominion

Manifested power

:25 power – exousia – power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege); the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)