PREACHING THROUGH THE BOOK OF JUDE
(29 Sermons)
By Pastor C. M. Carruthers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Jude: Sermon 1
Why Preach Through Jude?
Text: Jude 1:1-4
04-15-07 am
Jude is one of the shortest books in the
Bible. There are only 25
verses. The Lord laid this book on
my heart to preach through a few weeks back. When He did, I asked the same
question. Why would I spend time
researching and studying, preparing and preaching a few thoughts from such a
small book?
There are some, who even doubt that Jude should
be a part of the canon of Scripture.
However, it is well documented why God put this book in our Bible.
The Book takes about 3 minutes and 30 seconds to
read at pulpit speed. What would
Jude be telling us in the final days before the appearing of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ?
There is very little written about this
Epistle. There have been very few
recorded sermons about this book.
The most common verse preached from is verse 3. The most common phrase used by
Independent, Fundamental, Baptist preachers is the
phrase- earnestly contend for the faith.
Why, then, would we consider more than one or
two sermons from these 25 verses of Holy Writ? I believe that the key to this series of
messages is not found in Jude- just yet.
The key to this book is found in Acts 20. (Read Acts 20:22-36)
In this portion of Scripture, Paul is leaving
his post. He has been here nearly 3
years getting this church established and grounded. In verses 20 and 21 he reminds them that
he had taught them publicly and from house to house. He preached repentance toward God and
faith in Christ. This message was
preached to both the Jews and Gentiles.
But, as he fixes to pull up stakes, there are
three reminders that he gives them.
The same reminders or reasons we will preach through the book of Jude.
Matthew Henry said this: Preaching is not designed to teach us
something new in every sermon; but to put us in remembrance, to call to mind
things forgotten. Though you know
these things, you still need to know them better.
Paul reminded them:
I.
To Preach the Counsel of God (Acts
The counsel of God is
the key to this passage.
Adam Clark: All that God
has determined and revealed concerning the salvation of man-the whole doctrine
of Christ crucified, with repentance towards God, and faith in Jesus as the
Messiah and great
atoning Priest.
Albert Barnes: It means here the will or purpose of
God, as revealed in regard to the salvation of men. Paul had made a full statement of that plan--of the guilt of men, of the claims
of the law, of the need of a Saviour, of the provisions of mercy, and of the
state of future rewards and punishments. Ministers ought to declare all that
counsel, because God commands it; because it is needful for the salvation of
men; and because the message is not theirs, but God's, and they have no right
to change, to disguise, or to withhold it
When Paul mentions the
counsel of God, he is not only speaking specifically of salvation, but also all
matters of faith and practice.
A. I must
preach salvation.
1.
Man must be confronted with the fact that he is
a sinner.
2.
Man must understand that because he is a sinner,
he will die and spend eternity in Hell.
3.
Man must be presented with the truth that Jesus
Christ “became sin for us, who knew no sin (II Cor
4.
Man must then understand he must come to God in
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ accepting this free gift called grace.
B. I must
preach serious theology. (II
Timothy 4:1-4)
1.
I must preach the judgment of the unsaved. (v 1)
2.
I must preach the judgment of the saved (v 1; I Cor 3)
3.
I must preach to reprove (v 2)
Reprove-
To charge with a fault to the face. To convince of a fault.
4.
I must preach to rebuke (v 2)
Rebuke- To check or
restrain, to chasten, to silence, to heal, to restrain as to calm.
5.
I must preach to exhort (v 2)
Exhort- To advise, to
warn, to caution, to incite or stimulate to exertion.
a.
Longsuffering- forbearance, fortitude,
patience. The idea of going over
the same tings again and again with patience.
b.
Doctrine- Instruction that would stay true to
the Scripture.
II. To promote a concern for the
proper condition in the church. (v 28)
Paul stated in I Timothy
3:15 - But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
In order to be the
pillar and ground of truth- this is deep so hang on- truth must always be
presented.
Paul knew he was
presenting truth. He knew he was
preaching the counsel of God.
However, he was concerned that the condition of the church would change
with his departure. How then did
Paul promote this proper concern?
A. Take heed
to yourselves and to all the flock. (v 28)
Paul is speaking to a
group of preachers. He is stating a
truth before a
He is saying pay
attention to your self and the church as to your manner of living. There is a certain way that Christians
must live. There is a standard of
separation that must be maintained.
There are certain things a child of God should not involve himself.
B. Take the
responsibility serious. (v 28)
Paul states the Holy
Ghost hath made you an overseer. He
is stating to these men of God that the Holy Ghost had called them to position
they held. Because He had done so,
the responsibility is great. I will
one day stand before God and give an account of the time that I have spent as
your Pastor.
C. Take the
place of the Shepherd (v 28)
The words are
“feed the
1.
Feed- Leading the sheep to the pasture
to feed. A shepherd that is
concerned about the flock will make sure they have the right diet.
2.
Rule- As the shepherd leads and guards, as he
protects the lives of the innocent sheep, so the Pastor is to be the shepherd
over the flock.
III. To practice preventative procedures (v 31)
Verse 31 starts out
therefore. Remember when we see a
therefore we must ask what it is there for. Look back at 29 and 30. There were wolves that were going to
attack the flock. There was going
to be an uprising in the house of God.
Because of this, watch. This word translated “watch”
means to keep awake or to be vigilant.
It is the same thought that is presented in the book of Ezekiel 3:17-21
and 33:1-9. The watchman on the
wall had a serious job. He had to
stay awake and alert so to notice any activity that would compromise the city.
My calling, as Pastor,
is to be the preacher that preaches the counsel of God. It is to be the shepherd that promotes a
concern for the proper condition of the church. In addition, the calling of the preacher
is to practice preventative procedures by being a watchman.
Paul uses this thought
of a watchman and watching in four different contexts.
A. Watch- be
vigilant- in the faith (I
Corinthians
To watch or be vigilant
in the faith we must know what we believe, why we believe it and where we found
it. There must be grounding in the
word of God- a taking of theology seriously.
B. Watch- be
vigilant- with thanksgiving
(Colossians 4:2)
Rejoicing in what we
believe. Rejoicing in what God has
done. Hebrews 13:15 - By him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
C. Watch
– be vigilant- in anticipating the return of Christ. (I Thess 5:6)
We are to be excited
about, anticipating the return of our Saviour. The rapture of the church is the next
event we should anticipate.
D. Watch- be vigilant- in preaching the Word. (II Timothy 4:5)
Paul reminds young
Timothy that people will not endure sound doctrine. They will turn away from the preaching
of the Word. But, Timothy, just
because the crowd changes their mind, you must still watch. You must still preach salvation and
still preach serious theology.
So, how do we conclude this morning? The book of Jude, as we will see, will
preach salvation and serious theology.
The book of Jude will promote a proper concern for the condition of the
church. The book of Jude will help
us practice preventative procedures.
I am excited about what God is going to teach us through this small
book.
But as Pastor of New Testament Baptist Church, I
am concerned about the condition of our church. I am not just concerned about the
building. My sole concern does not
lie in the disarray of the property.
My chief concern is the people that make up this called out assembly.
Jude: Sermon 2
The Background of a
Special Baptist Preacher
Text: Jude 1:1-4
04-15-07 pm
This morning we saw the importance of preaching through Jude. We do so to preach the counsel of God. We do so to promote a concern for the proper condition of the church. Then, finally, we do so to practice preventative maintenance.
Before we continue through this book, I must give you a fair warning. This book is a tough, precise approach to keeping the church pure from within. Jude was writing this book as a climax to what had been prophesied concerning the end times.
In I Timothy 4:1-5, Paul told Timothy the day was coming. In II Timothy 3:1-7, Paul gets even bolder as to write a declaration that the coming trouble in the church would be from a specific group of people. He described this group in verse 5, 6, and 7.
1. They would be religious.
They would be involved in religious ritual. They would be accepted into the church house. They would be looked upon as “good people.” But they would know nothing of the power of God. Their lives would be destitute of God’s working. They would be religious but unregenerate.
2. They would gather themselves women to promote their practices and purposes. (Barnes)
Women are verily easily persuaded. Salesmen have understood that if the woman can be convinced, she can probably convince the man. (The serpent convinced Eve. Eve convinced Adam.) This practice has been seen played out by the Catholics. More recently we have seen this operation played out by the charismatic crowd.
Woman are easily swayed by religious leaders. Most preachers who have affairs or leave with the church secretary have done so because of the power they have been able to grow through women.
This word silly is not derogatory. It simply means weak or foolish.
3. They would always be learning but never coming to the truth.
They learn systems. They learn ideologies. They learn kindnesses. But they will die and go to Hell because they did not grasp the truth of the gospel.
Paul warned of the arrival of these apostates in approximately 61 AD when he wrote I Timothy. He reiterated this warning in a much more stern fashion 4 years later when he penned II Timothy. Peter in the same year (65 AD) cried forth in II Peter 2:1-3 that they were just around the corner.
Jude, who some think was written between 70 and 90 AD, states emphatically in verse 4- “For there are certain men crept in unawares.
What Paul said was coming. Peter said was hovering nearby. Jude announces it has happened. The apostates had now crept into good apostolic churches. Churches that were able to trace their beginnings to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles were no longer Apostolic but apostate. Jude, who was unable to write a hallelujah book about salvation (Jude means praise or thanksgiving), was now, under direction of the Holy Spirit, warning that churches were in trouble.
Specifically, Jude was warning of a group called the Gnostics. Throughout these messages we will make reference to this group. A group that has continued through the time we now live in.
Gnosticism attacks creation. It is a belief that there is a distinction between matter (which is evil) and spirit (which is good). This belief caused folks to think that Jesus’ body was not a real body. It was only an illusion. They maintain that had it been real, Jesus would have been evil.
This teaching brought about 2
thoughts that have carried on through today. The first is that of self
mutilation. In order to gain a
greater spiritual relationship one must abuse their body. Because the body is evil it must be
tortured. We see this carried out
by people crawling up many sets of steps to worship. We see this in the
The second result is called antinomianism. The prefix anti- against. The root word nomi- meaning law. (We see this in the word Deuteronomy.) Antinomianism is against moral law. The teaching is that man is under no obligation to any moral law. We see this doctrine being taught in many churches today.
It is taught in this fashion; Because a Christian is living under grace, he can live any way he wants to. He is under no obligation to follow any standard or morality because God’s grace forgives all things. Since God’s grace covers all, there is no consequence for sin. This is the background of what Jude is all about.
Tonight, I would like us to spend the remainder of our time looking at the background of a special Baptist preacher. There are three words that describe Jude.
I. Servant. (1.1)
Jude refers to himself as his brother James and the Apostle Paul referred to themselves. He simply says, Jude the servant of Jesus Christ.
The word servant is the Greek word “doulus” meaning bondservant. A bondservant was someone that willingly chose to be under the authority of another.
The first reference in Scripture to this was in Exodus 21:5,6. The man or woman, that after his debt was paid, decided to stay on with his master, would go to the door of the house and have their ear bored through with an aul.
A.
We are servants (I Cor
1. We are bought with a price.
A servant is first bought and paid for. We are owned by the Master.
2. We are the Lord’s servant.
His precious blood paid the price and purchased us.
B.
We are bond servants (Deut
1. We became a servant because we had a debt we could not pay. (The debt of sin was beyond our ability to pay.)
2. We fell in love with our Master because he paid the debt.
3.
We chose to serve Him the rest of our
lives, because of what He did. (
Too many Christians
forget that all we are are servants- bond slaves to the Master. Jesus said in Mark 10:45 - For even the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
C. Servants
serve.
1.
Servants do not give orders. They follow them.
2.
Servants do things the way the Master wants them
accomplished.
II. Sibling (1.1)
Jude not only mentions
that he is the brother of James, but he is the half brother of Jesus.
A. Jude is
listed as a member of the family.
(Matthew 13:53-58)
B.
James, the brother, was the Pastor of the
III. Saved
The only way to become a
servant of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be saved. Jude was a saved man.
A.
Jude was not saved because he was related to
Jesus. (John 7:5)
B.
Jude was not saved because of the miracles he
had seen performed.
C.
Jude was saved because he accepted what Christ
did on
Just like any other
human being who has ever been saved.
1.
This took place after the resurrection.
Only six months between
John 7:5 and the Jude being mentioned in Acts 1:14.
2.
The brothers of Jesus (half brothers) were known
by the church at
3.
James (Jude’s brother) had seen the
resurrected Saviour. (I Corinthians
15:7)
a.
The other James (brother of John) had been
killed by Herod in Acts 12:1.
b.
The church at
Jude seems thankful for his heritage.
Tonight, I ask, are you saved? Salvation comes as a result of our agreement with God
that we can not save ourselves.
Jesus did it all, because we needed someone to pay the price for our
sins.
Let me ask a second question. What kind of servant are you? There is nothing worse than a person
that will not do their share of the work.
Are you a bondservant or a bad slacker?
Jude: Sermon 3
To Whom Is Jude Written?
Text: Jude 1:1-4
04-22-07 am
We have met Jude the servant- the
bond servant. He is the half brother
of Jesus and the brother of James the Pastor of the
But just whom is Jude addressing himself too? Who is it that should heed the warning that is being sounded forth?
Jude is what we call a general
epistle. Some have teased that an
epistle is an apostle that never grew up.
In your Bible there are eight books that are included in this
group. They are Hebrews, James, I
and II Peter, I, II, III John and Jude.
The reason they are called general epistles is because they are not
addressed to a specific locality- Paul wrote the church at
An epistle is also a writing that condemns, approves, or directs the conduct of the church.
Although Jude is not presenting this treatise to any particular local congregation, we may safely assume that God preserved these 25 verses for instruction to the New Testament Baptist Church. We are to heed the directives that are given in this book.
Preacher, how do you know this? There are three words in verse 1 that will help us make this determination. Jude states in verse 1- sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.
I have alliterated these thoughts to help us in understanding the thought expressed this morning.
I. Sanctified
Jude writes after the manner of the Apostle Paul.
I Corinthians1:2 - Unto the
I Corinthians
The word sanctified in the Greek is the word- hagiazo. The word means to make holy. We would say it this way- To the saved. Jude is writing to those that are saved.
We live in a society that over the last 50 years has made this idea of being saved too easy. Being saved is more than saying a prayer. It is more than attending a few church services. It is a life changing experience.
When someone has Bible salvation, they will be sanctified- made holy.
A. Being Sanctified Will Change Your Heart (Psalm 51:7)
When one receives Christ as their Saviour their heart is made clean- it is made white.
I do not put much stock in this jailhouse, bail me out, religion. I just do not give much thought to these folks that say- Yeah, I got saved but there is no change in their heart. There is no desire to do right. The word used to describe saved people is the word sanctified. The word sanctified means to make holy.
B. Being Sanctified Will Make You Holy. (Hagiazo)
Being sanctified will make you holy. Why? Because when you come to Christ in repentance and faith; when you trust Christ to be your Saviour, the Holy Spirit of God indwells you. God in the Spirit dwells inside.
When we sin or commit wrongdoing, the Holy Spirit will convict us. He will remind us that what we are doing is wicked.
Holy people do not make it a practice to live unholy. Now, do not misunderstand what is being said. I am not saying we do not sin. I am not saying we reach a state of sinless perfection. I John 1:9 is still in the Bible and we need to use it often. Holy people do not dwell in sin. They do not relish in sinful living. People that never get victory, people that do not see sustained victory over sinful ways and sinful habits- probably need to make sure they really are saved.
C. Being Sanctified Will Head You in the
Right Direction (Acts
Being sanctified will build you. Being sanctified will grow your relationship with the Lord and right.
II. Secured
Once a person is saved or sanctified he is secure. The word in the Greek is also translated here preserved but also in verse 6 as kept, verse 6 reserved, and verse 21 as keep. It means to guard from loss, the implication is using a fortress or full military lines of apparatus to insure this action.
Jude says we are preserved. We are kept. Who is the one keeping? Is it us keeping ourselves? No, because Jude uses the phrase keep in verse 21 in reference to keeping ourselves in the love of God. This is similar to saying guard your love relationship. Like talking to a newlywed couple and saying, Do not let the flame die out.
As Baptists, I mean as Independent, Fundamental Baptists, we believe the Bible from cover to cover. We teach and preach and practice the Word of God. Believers. That are saved or sanctified; children of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ are secure. We are kept by the power of God. We are eternally saved.
A. We are secure in the family. (John
When we get saved. (someone does not save us.) they are born into the family of God. Jesus said, Ye must be born again. We are children of God.
When I was born
to Fred and Judibeth Taylor back on
When are we are saved we are born into God’s family. There is an old term for salvation called – regeneration. When we are saved we are given a new set of genes. Re- gene- ration. II Corinthians- we are a new creature- creation.
B. We are secure in the Faith. (Hebrews 13:5)
Salvation brings this eternal security.
C. We are secure in the Fellowship. ( I Peter 1:5)
God is keeping us for the last days. John 14:2,3
III. Serving
Jude uses the word called.
A. Called to be saints.
The word called is the
Greek word kletos meaning called to be a saint. The word saint means to be devoted and
set apart fort he service of God. A
regenerated person is a saint. Paul
uses this terminology in Romans 1:7 - To all that be in Rome, beloved of
God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father,
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He
also uses the phrase in I Corinthians 1:2.
B. Called to sincerely serve. (II Timothy 1:9)
Who hath saved us, and
called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,
C. Called to serve straight (I Thessalonians
That ye would walk
worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
Conclusion:
Are you saved? Before you
answer that question, let me ask you this question- What proof do you have that
you are saved? Has there been a
change since you were saved? Has
there been a lasting change? Has
there been Holy Spirit conviction when you sin? Can you see victories from the world,
flesh and the devil?
When people see my Dad they see a resemblance. When people see my children, they see
similarities in looks, actions, likes and dislikes. Can people see a resemblance between you
and the Heavenly Father?
Jude: Sermon 4
Daring Diligence
Jude 1:1-3
04-22-07 pm
This morning we saw that Jude was writing this letter to sanctified, secure, and serving people. He was writing to those who were members of local churches.
Thus we have seen who Jude
is. He is the half brother of Jesus
and the brother of James, the pastor of the
In our series we are skipping over verse 2. Verse 2 is a normal apostolic greeting. It is similar to words we say, because we are religious, and really have no bite to them. Instead of saying mercy, peace, and love, we say God Bless You, I’m praying for you, Have a blessed day. We say it because it sounds good, but in reality we say with little or no sincerity.
However, having said that, there is little doubt
that we need to be reminded of our need for mercy. We understand that peace
comes through justification- Romans 5:1 - Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. The love that is mentioned
is that of a love for the brethren.
That is how we have been identified through the ages-
John
John
2 John 1:5 And now I
beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that
which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
We see next that the desire of Jude’s
heart was to write about the common salvation. Next week we will consider that
thought. But, tonight I want us to
think about Jude’s use of the word diligence. He states- when I gave all diligence.
Diligence- Steady application in business of any
kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or
mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.
2. Care; heed;
heedfulness. Proverbs
We need to diligence in our Christian
lives. We seem to understand
diligence in other areas, but let it slip in our spiritual lives.
1.
Must be diligent about finances.
-
Make sure income does not exceed outgo.
-
Can not put $100 in the bank and spend $200