JUDE: A LETTER FROM A FRIEND: Remember, build up, and be merciful 10-18-26

JUDE: A LETTER FROM A FRIEND:  Remember, build up, and be merciful 10-18-26

INTRODUCTION 

A new series

A series about a short letter

Grace and Jesus - theology

Last week, grace, mercy and responsibility - practice

Shepherds who feed only themselves

What do you do when you have been warned? How do you respond.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. 

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

‭‭ Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I. REMEMBER

A 91-year-old lady reads the Scriptures regularly, but now her memory is failing her. Friends commented, "So what’s the use of all this reading when you cannot remember what you’ve read." Her answer is always the same. "God has blessed me richly. I eat well and sleep well; I have a roof over my head. I am not concerned about my memory. I just do my reading and God does the remembering."

Christian Cheong, Sermon Central, August 7, 2008.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A. Remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold

1. Honor to the apostles

2. Esteem for the what the apostles said

B. “In these last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”

‭‭ 2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C. These are the people who divide you

1.  Who follow mere natural instincts

2. Who do not have the Spirit

II. BUILD YOURSELVES UP

Years ago Leland Patrick picked up a poem named "The Choice." “

I do not know where I got it nor the author, but it illustrates the importance of building others up. This poem raises the question of whether we will ‘tear down or build up.’”

The Choice

"I watched some men tearing a building down,

a group of men in my home town.

With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,

They swung the ball and a side wall fell.

And I said to the foreman, "Are these men skilled,

the type you’d hire if you want to build?"

And he smiled, then laughed and said, "No indeed,

common laborer is all I need.

For we can tear down in a day or two,

what it took a builder years to do."

As I turned, I shook my head,

I knew there was truth in what he said.

And I thought to myself as I walked away,

which of these roles am I going to play?

Am I a builder as I work with care,

measuring life by the rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds to a well-laid plan,

carefully doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker as I walk the town,

content with the labor of tearing down?

Leland Patrick, "The Finer Points of Love" (part 4), 2/23/2009, Sermon Central, March 11, 2009.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

‭‭ Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A. Building yourselves up in your most holy faith

B. Praying in the Holy Spirit

C. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life

III. BE MERCIFUL

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

‭‭ Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One night in 1935, Fiorello H. La Guardia, mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said, "I’ve got to punish you. Ten dollars or ten days in jail."

As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city "where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat." The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid and an additional $47.50.

Now that is mercy. 

Steve Shepherd, "In His Mercy", Sermon Central, January 28, 2009.

A. Be merciful to those who doubt

B. Save others by snatching them from the fire

C. Show mercy, mixed with fear

D. Hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh

CONCLUSION

Remember. Build yourselves up. Be merciful.  

Doxology (praise words) - end with what is most important

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

‭‭ Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Basic neurological test - remember 3 words, Primacy and Recency. The last word is the most often remembered if not interrupted by another task. With interruption, the first word is still remembered more often as our mind has longer to process it. In order to keep the last word in our memory we must repeat it so it makes it into our long term memory.

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.  

10-14-26 S.U.M. It Up!

10-11-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

10-4-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

JUDE: A LETTER FROM A FRIEND: Grace, mercy, and responsibility 10-4-26

​JUDE: A LETTER FROM A FRIEND: Grace, mercy, and responsibility 10-4-26

INTRODUCTION 

A new series

A series about a short letter

Last week, Grace and Jesus

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭5-7 NIV‬‬

“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. 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 a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”

‭‭     Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I. AFTER GRACE AND MERCY

“God’s grace is magnified my man’s ruin. The more keenly the ruin is felt, the more highly the grace is valued.”

The most joyful converts to Christ you will ever see, are the ones who have come to realize how utterly lost and helpless they were without Him.

C. H. MacKintosh

A. God’s children

1. At one time God delivered

2. Later God destroyed those shoe did not believe

     B. Angels

1. Did not keep their positions of authority

2. Abandoned their proper dwelling

3. God kept them in darkness, bout with everlasting chains for judgment on the Great Day

     C. Sodom and Gomorrah

1. Before

2. Gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion

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

II. RESPONSIBILITY AND THE GIFT OF GRACE

     A. Theirs 

1. Israel and the law

2. Angels and their rightful place

3. Sodom and Gomorrah and natural law

     B. Ours

1. Holiness and righteousness

Author Jerry Bridges comments in an article on commitment, "As I have watched the parade of people through our church, and other churches, I wonder why so few commit themselves to a local body of believers in a significant way. Many sit and soak and do little else, and they flee at the first sign of trouble or pressure. They fail to become involved or to give; the priority for corporate worship falls far down on the list. They criticize all that is wrong with a specific local congregation. What can we do besides comment or complain? We need to accept the challenge to commit ourselves to responsible membership."

     C. His

1. True to Himself

III. OUR RESPONSIBILITY

     A. Grace with gratitude

     B. Mercy with a changed heart

     C. Responsibility with a life of  holiness

As Clayton J. Schmit put it in his commentary on our text:

The moment of birth is one of unspeakable joy. Yet, if parents stopped to count the cost of taking a child home (which, fortunately, they never do) they might be tempted to turn the gift down.

The cost of baby food and diapers, sleepless nights and worrisome days, braces for the teeth, clothes and school supplies and college tuition, and repairs to the fenders of the family car, heartaches and disappointments, and weddings; it would not be surprising for a young parent to say, "No thanks. I think I'll pass on the gift." [2]

Clearly, the gift of a child brings responsibilities. But it also brings tremendous joy to every loving parent.

Dr. Schmit goes on to say that the same kind of responsibilities come with God's gift of his kingdom. They are not insignificant responsibilities. We are to give up the materialistic way of the world, and share our wealth with those in need. We are to work toward expanding God's kingdom to those we meet, love our neighbors as ourselves, and witness to others that we know the redeeming love of God. It too, is a gift that if one was to stop and calculate the responsibilities, might terrify the recipient.

Yet along with these demanding responsibilities, the gift of God's kingdom also brings with it the joy of knowing God's redeeming grace, of not having to carry the burden of our sins and failures around like an iron fetter attached to our ankles. And most importantly, the gift of God's kingdom offers the hope of new life, as we realize that we are members of God's extended family.

CONCLUSION

Grace mercy and responsibility are forever before us. Our response to His Grace and mercy should be a responsible life lived for Him. 

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.