Jude – Page 4 – Three Minute Bible

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020

Jude 1: 8 — Usurped

A man in a suit with the words, "Follow me!" printed next to him.

In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

What is the defining characteristic of a godly person? What is the difference between the godly and the ungodly?

The answer to these questions is in today’s passage. Polluting the body, rejecting authority, and abusing celestial beings all reflect a lack of humility before God. Put another way, people can make the same mistake as the Wayward Angels posted about a few days ago. We rebel and put ourselves before God.

April 30, 2020April 30, 2020

Jude 1: 8a — If Only

Tropical beach scene with hammock between to palm trees.

In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams …

What do people stand on if they are not standing on the Truth? I have heard it said that there are different kinds of truth: objective truth, personal truth, and political truth. But the only truth that matters, after everything else is said and done, it eternal truth.

Personal “truths” are known as opinions. Opinions change. There is no personal truth that survives a person’s lifetime.

Political “truths” are also temporary. The only political “truth” is power. Who has it and how much do they have? If someone with more power comes along, then their “truth” becomes the reigning political truth.

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020

Jude 1: 7b — The Third Group

They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

As Jude dives into the topic of his letter, we immediately understand that there are three groups of people involved.

The first group, the group that James is part of, are “loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.”

The second group, not mentioned by name but implied, are the people of the world who do not know Jesus but need Him. These people are not “lost” to Christ, but neither are they yet “found.” The one thing about this group that applies to all of them is that none of them claim to be Christians.

April 28, 2020April 28, 2020

Jude 1: 7a — The Undiscovered Country

A door sits on a cloud floating in a blue sky.

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.

Jude is talking about ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality. This passage is EXHIBIT “A” in the world’s case against Christianity. The world’s point of view is that everything is okay unless everyone agrees that it is not okay. The judge of what is okay and not okay is the imaginary collective conscience of the entire world.

What has the entire world ever agreed on? Can you think of one thing? No, I can’t either. This argument assures than nobody will ever be able to accuse anyone else of doing what is wrong.

Wait! That’s not right! People tell Christians that they are wrong all the time.

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

Jude 1: 6 — Wayward Angels

Closeup of statue showing arms bound together.

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

In verse 5, Jude begins, “Though you already know all this…” and then tells me this thing about angels that I didn’t know. Maybe there is information about angels that was common knowledge in Jude’s day that didn’t make it into the Bible.

In some respects, this information should not surprise us. We know that God created all things (Colossians 1: 16), and we know about Satan (Job 1:6). What we don’t know is why a created angelic being would turn against God.

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020

Jude 1: 5 — A Change of Residence

a person carries boxes from a van to a house.

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

Having introduced himself in his letter and explained his topic, Jude begins a short review of history.

In Sunday school, I learned that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. I was also told it took forty years to get there. One day it dawned on me that forty years is a really long time. How is it possible that a trip could take that long? (Even if you only walked one mile each day, a trip of forty years would cover 14,600 miles!)

Of course, there is a lot more to the story.

April 25, 2020April 26, 2020

Jude 1: 4d — The Test

…and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Jude warns us about people who secretly slip into our churches and are ungodly, pervert the grace of our God, and deny Jesus Christ.
We have talked about the first two. What about the third? How do they deny Jesus?

One way to deny Jesus is to proclaim a false Jesus. These people redefine Jesus to fit their concept of religion.

Jesus is unique. The Jesus we meet in the Bible is unlike anyone else that has ever lived or will ever live. Jesus has power over all things physical and spiritual. Jesus knows you and me inside and out. He knows our hearts and what is in our minds. He “sees” everything about us. He is one with God the Father and serves Him faithfully.

April 24, 2020April 24, 2020

Jude 1: 4c — The Slippery Slope

A young girl slips down a snowy slope with a scared look on her face.

… into a license for immorality …

What is the most immoral thing you can think of?

Now that you have that in mind, ask yourself: What is the most immoral thing God can think of?

The book of Jeremiah answers this question. In the first chapter, verse eleven, Jeremiah records the essence of God’s judgment of immorality against Jerusalem:

April 23, 2020April 23, 2020

Jude 1: 4b — Ungodly People

They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God…

Jude begins to describe the people who have secretly slipped in among the believers who are loved by God and kept for Jesus.

He starts by saying they are ungodly people. Thinking back to James, chapter 3, we are reminded that the same tongue can both praise and curse. If someone were to walk into a church and curse God, they could not be said to have “secretly slipped in among you.” So if the ungodly were to sneak in secretly, they would make every effort to appear godly.

So what does it mean to be godly? Is it about what we say, or what we do?

April 22, 2020April 23, 2020

Jude 1: 4a — The Tares Among Us

A picture of wheat stalks against a stormy sky.

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.

To put this passage into context, let’s ask two questions:

Who is Jude? Answer: A servant of Jesus Christ.

Who is Jude writing to? Answer: Those who belong to (are “kept for”) Jesus Christ.

To summarize: Jude, called by Jesus, is writing to people who are also called by Jesus. The common name for a group of people who gather together to worship and honor Jesus is a church.

So let’s review: “certain individuals… have secretly slipped in among you.”

Is Jude being overly dramatic? He almost sounds as if he is describing a spy thriller. Who would want to secretly slip into a church group anyway?