Have you ever imagined what it felt like growing up with Jesus? Thinking that Jesus had brothers and sisters is just crazy. I mean, did they have sibling fights with the Savior of the world? Was there one sibling who was always picking a fight with Him and one who always took His side? Or were they more like Joseph’s brothers, never believing His mandate? If you were a sibling in such a household, how would you react after witnessing His death and resurrection? Would you silence everyone with the tale of Him being your brother? Or would you have chosen to look beyond that and see the bigger picture?
Jude and James were Jesus’ half-brothers and disciples. They chose to embrace Jesus not just as their biological brother but as the Lord and Savior. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Jude and James didn’t just view themselves as disciples of Jesus. In their two letters, they referred to themselves as bondservants of Jesus.
Jude
Jude 1:1 NKJV
Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Who is a bondservant?
The term bondservant means a willing servant. This is someone who gives themselves willingly to their master. A bondservant is not always looking for an opportunity to become free. Rather, a bondservant is someone who declares their allegiance; a servant by choice.
Jude, like James, Paul, and the others understood that when it comes to service, you can never serve a peer; you only serve a master. Now, there is always a place for brotherhood (Jesus calls Himself our brother), but there is a place for service.
The benefits of being a bondservant
- Flow of anointing: It is common sense that a river does not flow upward but downward. Choosing to become a servant of Jesus means positioning yourself for anointing to flow from Him to you.
- Blessings: The lesser is blessed by the greater.
- Removes familiarity: The reason why most people who are close to an anointing do not receive from it is because they choose to become familiar, seeing the man, not the man of God. Jude decided to see Jesus as the Lord, not just his brother.
Who is the Book of Jude written for?
Jude 1:1 TPT
From Judah, a loving servant of Jesus, the Anointed One, and brother of Jacob. I’m writing to the chosen ones who are wrapped in the love of Father God—kept and guarded for Jesus, the Messiah.
The book of Jude was not meant for unbelievers. It was written for serious believers (those who have been called and sanctified). This is a letter for you and me.
The intended purpose of the Book of Jude
Jude 1:3a NKJV
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation,
Jude intended to write to the believers regarding the life of salvation that all the believers share. Have you ever sat down to write or say something, then you have that strong leading to go another way? That was Jude.
The actual purpose of the book of Jude
Contending for the faith
Jude 1:3b TPT
But felt the need instead to challenge you to vigorously defend and contend for the beliefs that we cherish.
One of the highlights of the high school year was the weekend challenge. During these weekends, men and women of God would come to school to share the gospel with the students. I loved these weekends because we would spend an entire weekend singing, listening to the word of God, and culminating it with a rally, where students from neighboring schools would join us. If you were in boarding school, then you know rallies where Christmas comes early. Sometimes the word would be so good that students would flock to the altar to get born again. But here’s the funny bit of it: this would happen every weekend challenge, meaning that before one is done with high school, sometimes they would have gotten born-again again five to six times!
This would happen because we did not understand what this salvation was. If you receive salvation and do not understand what it is that you have received, you are more likely to go back again and again. However, if you understand, you do not need to be born again more than once. All you need to do now is to contend for the faith
1 Peter 1: 10 NKJV
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
You heard that right, my dear reader, there is work to be done after you have received salvation. There is contending that needs to be done. The enemy doesn’t stop bothering you the minute you accept Christ, in fact, he now triples his efforts. Paul understood that there is a fight to be fought once one receives Christ, which is why he said, “I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race.”
Misusing the Grace of God
Jude 1:4 NIV
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
The grace of God has been freely given to the believers. However, there is a choice for you to make. You can choose to take grace for granted or take full advantage of the grace. The former belong to the category of people that Apostle Jude is talking about here. These are the people who know that grace is available for them. However, their understanding gives them the confidence to do stupid, ungodly things because “grace is sufficient.” These are the people who teach grace with no balance; the people that Jude is warning us against.
The first illustration of Salvation
Jude 1:5 NKJV
But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
The first illustration of salvation was when God took the Israelites out of Egypt. Yet, despite being saved from slavery, these are the same people who now turned against Moses, a foreshadowing of people rejecting Jesus even though He came to save them.
The kinds of People who did not believe
- Israelites saved from slavery in Egypt. Jude 1:5
- Angels who lost their authority to rule. Jude 1:6
- Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude 1:7
The filthiness of sin
Jude 1:8 ERV
These people make themselves dirty with sin. Sin is the thing that gives the enemy legal ground over you.
Zechariah 3:4 NKJV
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes
Joshua the high priest was standing before the angel of the Lord, yet Satan was also standing there to accuse him because of his filthy garments. Any time we have sin in our lives, we allow the devil to accuse us. So, if you find yourself struggling with offense, unforgiveness, bitterness, or any of these negative vices, ask for grace to handle them so that you don’t leave yourself exposed to the enemy.
Jude 1:9 NKJV
Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Moses is one man who spoke with God face to face. He was an uncommon man and even the devil knew this, which is why he wanted the body of Moses. Yet, regardless of this or even the consequences that would have come with the devil getting Moses’ body, Michael understood ranks in the spiritual realm. Unlike, these dreamers who speak evil of what they don’t know.
Jude 1:10 NKJV
But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
As believers, we do not live by what we see or desire. God’s desires have become our desires. This means that as a believer, you need to die daily to your natural desires. A believer is not led by instincts, but they are led by the spirit.
Jude 1:11 NKJV
Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
It is carnal-minded people who become like Cain and fall into the error of Balaam. For when the love for money comes, sense leaves. Money is not evil. Yet, it is our love for money that is evil. Balaam was a prophet for hire, choosing to exchange his gift for money. So many people begun this walk of salvation quite well. So many ministers whose aim was to just let the world know about God. Unfortunately, they allowed greed to grow in their lives, allowing their greed to now lead them, taking the place of God and His word in their lives.
Warning against False Teachers
Jude 1: 12 NKJV
These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
The book of Jude warns us against these people who have crept in, faking what is real. They are the people with the gift, but no fruit of the Holy Spirit. Gifts of God are without repentance. This means that He does not recall that which He has given us. False teachers and false believers have the gift but not fruit. They have no love, kindness, joy, peace, or any other fruit of the spirit.
Gift
Fruit
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
One of the major ways to spot a false teacher is to check the fruits they bear. Gifts will mislead; gifts can be faked. Fruits can never be faked. What someone faking it has to offer is nothing but shame and disgrace.
The portion of these false teachers
Jude 1: 13 NKJV
raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
It is quite unfortunate that these men, these false teachers are still going around, misleading the people of God. It is even more unfortunate that the company of fools shall be destroyed; meaning that the portion of these false teachers will be the portion of those who keep their company.
This is why it is essential for you as a believer to first of all know God for yourself. Give yourself to reading the word of God so that you cannot be misled, and then commit yourself to the fellowship of brethren; find a bible-believing church.
“Father, in this moment we receive grace to contend for our faith. We receive grace to seek you so that we do not fall into the hands of false teachers. Thank you for there is so much that you have in store for us. Lord, grant us the grace to pursue maturity so that someday, as Paul did, we can say that we have fought the good fight and kept the faith.
In the name of Jesus, we pray.”
Amen.