A Study of Jude. Christ Presbyterian Church, New Braunfels, Texas SENIOR PASTOR, DICK JONES

Transcription

1 Christ Presbyterian Church, New Braunfels, Texas SENIOR PASTOR, DICK JONES

2 Lesson 1 Verses 1 and 2 I Read VV 1-2 (scripture references are from New King James Version) 1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. A If Jude was brother to James, who else do you suppose he was related to? Why do you suppose Jude refers to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ? (NKJV) What, if any, is the corresponding application to all who profess faith in Christ? B In verse 1 we read, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ (NKJV) How does this verse express the doctrine (teaching) regarding the Trinity? C The next part of verse 1 refers to those who are sanctified by God the Father (NKJV). What is this sanctification a reference to, since we normally think of sanctification as a work of God the Holy Spirit rather than a work by God the Father? D What does the phrase, preserved in Jesus Christ mean? (NKJV) Page 1

3 E In verse 2 we read, Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. (NKJV) What is Jude saying to us? F Look up these scriptures and comment on how they support the answers to the questions above: 1) Colossians 1:16 2) Matthew 3: ) Romans 8: ) Ephesians 2: ) Philippians 1:6 Page 2

4 Lesson 2 Verse 3 I Read verse 3 (scripture references are from New American Standard Version) 3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. A At the beginning of verse 3, Jude uses the word Beloved to address those reading his epistle (letter). What, if any, significance ought we to discern from this? B Continuing in verse 3, Jude writes while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation How do you suppose this relates to Jude s use of the word Beloved (see Romans 5:8, and I Corinthians 1:2)? C Jude continues in verse 3 writing, I felt the necessity to write to you, appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith What does he mean by the word faith? (hint: Does he mean personal faith?) Page 3

5 D Jude urges believers to contend earnestly for the faith. This seems almost militant in tone. Why would he encourage this in believers? Shouldn t believers be nice and nonconfrontational? E How should a Christian contend earnestly for the faith in the America of our day? (read Proverbs 21:22) Page 4

6 F In what way do the strongholds mentioned in Proverbs 21:22 affect pastoral ministry and a believer s sanctification? G Explain the difference between justification and sanctification. If these are two aspects of redemption (sanctification and justification) are confused in the mind of a believer, what is the likely effect? Page 5

7 Lesson 3 Verse 3 (con t) I Read verse 3 (New American Standard Version) 3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. A In the last lesson we considered what it means to contend earnestly for the faith. Now we consider what this faith which was once for all handed down to the saints looks like. Is there an irreducible content that must absolutely be presented for a person to embrace the faith once handed down to the saints? B What does Romans 10:9 imply about what the typical convert must know and believe? that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. C Since most Christians are converted with a relatively immature and simplistic understanding of the gospel, is it important for the teaching and preaching of the church to include more than the simple gospel of Christ? Page 6

8 D What should the teaching regarding the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints include? (hint: Read The Apostles Creed) I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen E In our day, most evangelical churches do not utilize The Apostles Creed, and many in these churches are unfamiliar with it. What sort of reasons might an evangelical church choose not to utilize The Apostles Creed? F What does the declaration, No creed but Christ mean? Is the declaration above valid? G Should we, as evangelical believers, resist the reliance on religious traditions? Page 7

9 Lesson 4 Verse 4 I Read verse 4 (New American Standard Version) 4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. A In verse 4 Jude refers to certain persons who have crept in unnoticed. Who do you suppose he has in mind? (see 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 John 4:1; Acts 13:6-10) B Is it likely that there could be members or leaders of a church who are not true believers? (see Matthew 13:24-30) C Is it possible to distinguish the believer from those who lack genuine faith? (read 1 John 4:1-2, 15; 1 John 2:15-16, 3:9; 1 John 3:9-11) Page 8

10 D Jude is more specific in describing those certain persons who have crept in unnoticed as he continues in verse 4. He writes those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. What specific characteristics is he calling our attention to and to what sort of people? E As a practical matter, how does the leadership of a particular church protect the Body of Christ from false teachers? F Why does our sovereign, omniscient God allow false teachers gain positions from which they may hurt the Church? G Is it enough that a believer ought to be grounded in the fundamentals of the faith and have a good working knowledge of the Bible? Page 9

11 Lesson 5 Verse 5 I Read verse 5 (New American Standard Version) 5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. A Jude makes a reference to the people that had been saved out of the land of Egypt and who were subsequently destroyed for their unbelief. To what is he referring? B Is verse 5 a warning to sincere Christians or to those who are only nominal Christians (Christians in name only)? C So what are we to understand from this grave warning In Jude 5? D Are there general principles to be inferred from verse 5? (hint: principles that might be proposed as imperatives for all believers; you might start with some errors you have observed in the way many of us attempt to live out of our faith.) Page 10

12 E Returning to the metaphor of life entailing a journey through the wilderness, what are some conclusions to which we might come? F Does unbelief always result in destruction? Page 11