1. May 22, 2016 God give you all His blessings today!

2. What God can do! Jude 1-2

8. Examine: Background: Jude originated as a personal letter from a leader in the apostolic church to one or more of the congregations dispersed throughout the Roman empire. The dangers facing the church at this time were not those of outright persecution and extinction but of heretics and distorters of the faith. Author/Date: The author identifies himself as Jude, another form of the Hebrew name Judah. He was most likely Judas the half brother of our Lord. The letter was probably written about A.D. 65.

9. Message: Although Jude was eager to write to his readers about salvation, he thought he must instead warn them about certain immoral men circulating among them who were perverting the grace of God. These false teachers were trying to convince believers that being saved by grace gave them a license to sin. Most believe that they were Gnostics who believed that the spirit was good and matter was evil. So it didn’t matter what they did in the flesh. Our text is Jude vs. 2 and is in the greeting of this epistle, but verses 1 has some major points for us to consider to help us truly understand verse 2.

10. Privileges of the Letter’s Recipients: As is customary, the letter’s author introduces himself first, and then names of his recipients: “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Jude seems to love triads, groups of three, His three-fold characterization of his recipients’ privileges is: 1) Called by God, 2) Loved by God the Father, and 3) Kept by Jesus First, we as Christians are “called” by God, which means we are “summoned” personally. This relationship begins not at your initiative, but God’s. He calls you. He invites you into fellowship with himself.

11. Yes, we have a part and we must say “Yes,” but it is God who initiates, God who calls and we must accept his call. Remember “We love because he first loved us” (I John 4:19). Second, we as Christians are “loved by God the Father.” Sometimes we Christians are so Jesus-centered that we forget about the Father. At times some Christians find it politically incorrect to speak of God as “Father” thus the concept of God as “Abba,” God as the loving parent, gets blurred, and is dropped out of preaching in order not to offend. One of Jesus’ chief revelations of God was as Father—his Father and ours.

12. Third, we as Christians are “kept by Jesus Christ.” “Kept”, “kept safe”, and “preserved.” It has the basic meaning of “to retain in custody, keep watch over, guard.” Here is has the meaning “to cause a state, condition, or activity to continue, keep, hold, reserve, preserve someone or something…keep unharmed or undisturbed.” Some brands of Christianity maintain in their adherents a constant fear of damnation. It’s an attempt to keep them living right, no doubt. But it can also be a means of control. Jude’s characterization of a Christian’s privilege is of one who is “kept,” “guarded,” and “preserved unharmed” by Jesus. We don’t have to fend for ourselves for salvation and protection in the spirit world. Why? Jesus, the King of Kings takes care of us.

13. Explain: Now in verse two we find what Jude wanted for those Christians and us I believe today. Being called, loved and kept, he now blesses those Christians with an abundance of what God can do for them. “May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.” (Jude 2) Why would Jude say this to them? I believe: 1) Jude knew that God was fully aware, of what they were up against with the false teachers. 2) Jude was concerned and was asking for God’s special attention. 3) Jude knew God could and would give it to them, knowing the loving and attentive God He is, and their needs.

14. Jude’s blessing/God’s treasure house: 1) Mercy-kindness or concern expressed for someone in need, mercy, compassion, pity, clemency. 2)Peace-The Hebrew blessing behind this word is “Shalom.” Peace with God and wellness and welfare from God himself. 3) Love-God’s amazing love for us who deserve nothing, who have done much sin to achieve any righteousness on our own. The three fold blessing-mercy, peace, and love-Jude wants multiplied. The Greek verb translated multiplied means to grow, increase. Jude blesses with mercy, peace and love and then calls upon God to up the ante, to double the blessing, to multiply it many times.

15. Experience: Church even through this was a common Jewish greeting; “love” was added to make it distinctively Christian. You see where law and works prevail, there is failure and death. Where grace prevails, there is mercy (Eph.2:4; Heb. 4:16), peace (Rom. 5:1), and love (Rom. 5:5) in abundance. Thought: Believers who have sought God’s mercy also receive peace (inner assurance and stability) and love.

16. This text reminded me of all that God is and all that God can do, and desires to do for His children, who love Him and serve him. One passage that expresses this is Malachi 3: 10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Point today: God wants to bless you just as Jude knew God wanted to bless the Christians he was writing to. You also were called, are kept and loved by God, who wants to open the windows of heaven to bless you. Mercy, Peace, and Love especially are your from Him if you’re his children, but His storehouse is yours also. How special are we?