Bible Chapter: Jude 1

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Jude is one of the very short books of the Bible.  Because of this it probably is often considered not as important. That is too bad.  It contains some very important and necessary warnings.  Within the lifetime of contemporaries of Jesus there was already false teaching.  Jude describes them as godless men who changed the grace of God into license for immorality.  The tempter is always trying to get people to deny what Jesus taught so they can participate in sin.  They were teaching that it didn’t matter what you did after you believed in Jesus.  They said that the laws of God didn’t matter since Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for sins.  They claimed that believers have a license to do anything they want.  This is completely wrong and very dangerous.
    There are people today who are doing the same things.  They are teaching that the grace of God is so powerful and sweeping that it allows people to sin and not be punished.  Jude talked about God’s judgement.  God WILL judge sin.  Jude called these false teachers who allow for sin blemishes.  He called them clouds with no rain.  They are worthless.  God will judge sin.  This is a message the world desperately needs to hear.  People today think God doesn’t mean what He says.  They think Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t exist and reject the example of God’s judgement for their sexual sin.  God is a righteous judge.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    I must not presume on the grace of God.  He judges sin and strengthens His followers to live a holy life.  False teachers that Jude wrote about said that it didn’t matter what a believer does.  Yet, it does matter.  Jude wrote that these people follow their own evil desires.  This shows that they had sinful desires and came up with ways to justify their sin.  If a person can take away the judgement of the Lord, they can make sin acceptable.  If it is acceptable, then it is OK to do it.  But, that goes against everything the Bible teaches.  I must always keep this is focus and obey.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Help people see the real message of the Gospel.  Yes, Jesus is love.  Yes, His grace is amazing.  But, this does not give permission to sin.  Another very important message that people need to hear is the word judgement.  Our culture thinks there is no such thing as judgement and that every behavior is acceptable.  That is one of Satan’s biggest lies.  People need to hear that, reject sin and life in obedience to God.