Daily Devotion in Jude
Daily Nugget:
False teachings in Christianity were as much a problem in early New Testament churches
as they are today. Paul warned about them as did John, Peter, Jesus, Jude, and many other saints of the past. False teachers creep into a spiritually unwary, uneducated, and uninvolved congregation and gradually promote their own philosophies and teachings.
Jude identifies these wolves in sheep’s clothing as ungodly men, and they certainly could be women also. They turn God’s graciousness into a situation that satisfies their own indulgence of animal desires (lasciviousness) and deny the Lord (vs. 4).
In this epistle, we are reminded that God knew a long time before they got their evil claws into the ministry of God what they were up to — “… who were before of old ordained to this condemnation …” (vs. 4). They will not get away unscathed and unjudged, as other evilness in the Word of God did not. The examples given of those that did not get away with their sin include:
Not one will escape the judging hand of God. His judgments may not come in the immediate future, but they will come!
We are not to sit idly by and let them destroy the local church and the outreach it could have. We need to “contend for the faith” (vs. 3). Contend means to dispute. We are to stand up on our hind feet and declare what the Word of God declares, and not be swayed from Its doctrines. If believers do not stand up for what is right, who will? No one, and that is why so many churches “used to do this and that for the cause of Christ”, but now do so very little.
Today’s Thought: If a Bible doctrine was right 2,000 years ago; it is still right today!
Today’s Reading: Jude
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.
3 ¶ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 ¶ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 ¶ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (KJV)
False teachings in Christianity were as much a problem in early New Testament churchesas they are today. Paul warned about them as did John, Peter, Jesus, Jude, and many other saints of the past. False teachers creep into a spiritually unwary, uneducated, and uninvolved congregation and gradually promote their own philosophies and teachings.
Jude identifies these wolves in sheep’s clothing as ungodly men, and they certainly could be women also. They turn God’s graciousness into a situation that satisfies their own indulgence of animal desires (lasciviousness) and deny the Lord (vs. 4).
In this epistle, we are reminded that God knew a long time before they got their evil claws into the ministry of God what they were up to — “… who were before of old ordained to this condemnation …” (vs. 4). They will not get away unscathed and unjudged, as other evilness in the Word of God did not. The examples given of those that did not get away with their sin include:
- The Israelites that believed not (vs. 5). God delivered them out of the pharaoh’s enslaving hand, and led them through the wilderness to a land He had for them. Because of their complaining and unbelief, except for two leaders, none over the age of 20 made it to the Promised Land. They were judged.
- The fallen angels that came to this earth and cohabited with man. God has them currently chained awaiting their judgment (vs. 6).
- Those involved in wickedness in Sodom, Gommorrah, and three other cities. God abhorred their practice of homosexuality and their other wickednesses and destroyed their cities because of their sin (vs. 7). They were judged.
- Those that go in the way of Cain (vs. 11). God will judge those are more interested in their own gain, their own way of worship, and filthy lucre.
Not one will escape the judging hand of God. His judgments may not come in the immediate future, but they will come!
We are not to sit idly by and let them destroy the local church and the outreach it could have. We need to “contend for the faith” (vs. 3). Contend means to dispute. We are to stand up on our hind feet and declare what the Word of God declares, and not be swayed from Its doctrines. If believers do not stand up for what is right, who will? No one, and that is why so many churches “used to do this and that for the cause of Christ”, but now do so very little.
Today’s Thought: If a Bible doctrine was right 2,000 years ago; it is still right today!
Today’s Reading: Jude
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.
3 ¶ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 ¶ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 ¶ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (KJV)
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