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.
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