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You can turn to the book of Jude, 
please. The book of Jude, if you're here 
Wednesday night, this won't be all repetition. We looked at 
the book of Jude on Wednesday night. There will be some some 
differences in our focus tonight as we as we consider this particular 
epistle. We'll read the epistle and then 
I'll make of the entirety of it. It's one single chapter, 
a small book. We'll read it in its entirety. I'll make a few 
introductory notes and then we'll look at three aspects of this 
particular letter, beginning at the book of Jude here in verse 
one. Jude, a bond servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James 
to those who are called, sanctified by God, the father and preserved 
in Jesus Christ. Mercy, peace and love be multiplied 
to you. Beloved, while I was very diligent 
to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it 
necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for 
the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 
For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked 
out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our 
God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus 
Christ. But I want to remind you, though 
you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people 
out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe 
and the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left 
their own abode. He has reserved in everlasting 
chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day as 
Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner 
to these having given themselves over to sexual immorality and 
gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example, suffering 
the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise, also, these dreamers 
defile the flesh, reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries. 
Yet Michael, the archangel, in contending with the devil when 
he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against 
him a reviling accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke you. But 
these speak evil of whatever they do not know and whatever 
they know naturally, like group beasts. In these things they 
corrupt themselves. Woe to them, for they have gone 
in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam 
for profit. and perished in the rebellion 
of Korah. These are spots in your love 
feasts while they feast with you without fear, serving only 
themselves. They are clouds without water 
carried about by the winds. Late autumn trees without fruit, 
twice dead, pulled up by the roots. Raging waves of the sea 
foaming up their own shame. Wandering stars for whom is reserved 
the blackness of darkness forever. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, 
prophesied about these men also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes 
with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all, to 
convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds 
which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the 
harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These 
are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts. 
And they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain 
advantage. But you, beloved, remember the 
words which were spoken before by the by the apostles of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers 
in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly 
lusts. These are sensual persons who cause divisions, not having 
the spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves 
up on your most holy faith. Praying in the Holy Spirit, keep 
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our 
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, 
making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them 
out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now, to him who is able to keep 
you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence 
of his glory with exceeding joy, to God, our Savior, who alone 
is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now 
and forever. Amen. Well, let us pray again. 
God, we thank you for this time in your word, Lord. We just pray 
that you bless it now, that you would cause this to be a time 
of refreshment in your word of instruction. in your word of 
gaining even a greater knowledge of your truth as you've revealed 
it to us. And we do pray, Lord God, that each and every one 
of us here would benefit from the opening up of your word and 
that we would leave this place and enter into this week all 
the more prepared and strengthened to live to your glory. And it's 
in Christ's name that we pray. Amen. Well, a very short book, 
one of the shorter ones that we have in Holy Scripture. It 
is the author of this epistle, as is clearly obvious, is Jude. As we see there in verse 1, Jude, 
a bondservant of Jesus and brother of James. Now this Jude that 
is spoken of here is the same Jude in Matthew 13.55, who is 
The brother of James, but not to say more importantly, but 
Jesus Christ is more important than James. Jude is also the 
half brother of Jesus Christ, our Savior. The James being spoken 
of here that Jude is the brother of is the James of the early 
church prominence in the church at Jerusalem and the writer of 
the epistle that goes by his own name, James. So Jude here 
is a bondservant of Jesus Christ. and brother of James. He's writing 
here, most likely prior to eighty sixty five ish. He's writing 
prior to Peter's second epistle, Peter and his second epistle. 
If you if you were to read it after this one, you'd notice 
many, many of the same themes, many of the same tones and flavors. 
Jude, most likely, would have been used by 2 Peter to some 
degree, and Peter was dealing with many of the same problems 
that Jude is dealing with in his epistle to his audience. 
The occasion, lastly, before we get into a threefold look 
at this particular book, the occasion for writing this is 
found in verses 3 and 4. The reason, the purpose for writing 
this letter. Ungodly men had crept in unnoticed. who are turning the grace of 
God into lewdness. And so Jude writes to his audience, 
exhorting them to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once 
for all delivered to the same. That is a quick view of the letter, 
but we'll get into more as we move along. I want to look at 
three things as we look at this small book of Jude. First off, 
the creeping ones. In verse four, what their conduct 
is, what their activity is throughout this epistle, as Jude describes 
them. Secondly, the contending ones, what is or what are rather 
the characteristics of these who are the called, the sanctified, 
the preserved, the ones that Jude is writing to. And lastly, 
the one who keeps us, Jesus Christ. What is Jude right concerning 
Jesus Christ, who he is a bondservant of? So first off, the creeping 
ones. First off, notice their simple 
presence here at this church. Verse four, for certain men have 
crept in unnoticed. Now that that carries with it 
a lot of information. First off, why have they crept 
in unnoticed? The Christian church has been 
charged with having both eyes open as they carry out the commission 
of their Lord Jesus Christ in this lower world. They are to 
be diligent in having both eyes open so that they can spot heretics 
that come into the church and seek to turn the grace of God 
into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. But nevertheless, these crept 
in unnoticed. And these these saints, these 
elders, these the audience to whom Jude was writing. I don't 
mean to indict them like we have. We have it all going on upstairs 
and we certainly notice them. But they were to be diligent 
in having eyes open to see these what Jesus called wolves in sheep's 
clothing, what Paul called or whom Paul called savage wolves 
who would seek to come in and steal from the flock to bring 
in error, to bring in heresy. to bring in damnable doctrine 
in order to pervert the gospel of grace. But nevertheless, they 
did creep in unnoticed. And their presence there, in 
a way, ought not to have been shocking. Yes, we are to be somewhat 
incensed that any would find their way within the doors of 
a church and into the pews of a church. But nevertheless, Jesus 
warned about them in Matthew 7 and elsewhere. Paul warned 
us about them, warned the church about them everywhere, but a 
good spot is Acts chapter 20, when he's exhorting the Ephesian 
elders, savage wolves will come in from among you and steal from 
the flock. So it is certainly not a surprise, 
but nevertheless, these should have been diligent in having 
both Christian eyes open for heretics coming among their ranks. 
Their activity. Notice the activity. Well, first 
off, the main description of what their problem is, what their 
error is, they turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny 
the only Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the error 
always comes at the point of contact of the grace of God in 
the gospel. And usually there's two ways 
that the grace of God can be perverted or that people can 
turn the grace of God, abuse the grace of God. One extreme, 
of course, is legalism. When the grace of God isn't enough 
or when the grace of God is somehow deficient and something must 
be added to that, in other words, obedience to to gospel demands, 
obedience rather to God's law must be added to it, added as 
a mixture to the finished and perfect work of Jesus Christ. 
That most certainly is a vile perversion of the grace of God. 
And we see or we have seen as as Pastor Butler's preach through 
the book of Galatians. This is the issue there. You 
see, these epistles, these letters to churches are usually always 
in response to error, in response to the church of Jesus Christ 
being challenged, in response to doctrines being perverted. 
And Jude, of course, here is no exception. The other extreme, 
of course, and the one that's in view here is that the grace 
of God has been rendered and therefore anyone falling under 
its efficacy can now do whatever they want. We're no longer, we 
are not answerable in a way to the law of God in order to carry 
out our moral conduct in this lower world. In other words, 
oh God save me, now I can go live like a wretch. Let us sin 
so that grace might abound. But heaven forbid or God forbid, 
Paul says that that would ever be the case. So we have an adding 
to grace or as feeling from grace in the sense that grace is is 
argued by these heretics in Jude to be a reason to be able to 
entertain all manner of lewdness. Peter, in that epistle that we 
just read this morning, the section that we read this morning, we 
didn't consider this portion, but he touches upon that there. 
He says in verse 15 of first Peter two, for this is the will 
of God that by doing good, you may put to silence the ignorance 
of foolish men as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for 
vice, but as bond servants of God. You see, we're not to use 
our liberty won by Jesus Christ as a cloak for vice, as a as 
a reason for carrying out wickedness. So Christ has redeemed us from 
the curse of the law. Yes, but that does not mean that 
now we can live as murderers, as thieves, as adulterers. It 
is the case that having been saved by Jesus Christ from first 
to last by his perfect work, we are to live in a manner worthy 
of that wonderful calling. by the grace of God. So, the 
main error in view here is that these are turning the grace of 
God into lewdness, denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Now, it's fleshed out, or it's 
brought out more here, these creeping ones. We've seen their 
presence and the main aspect of their error, but their activity 
is such that it is called by Jude ungodliness six times. Jude gives them a sixfold indictment 
of being ungodly. We look at verse 14 for a moment. 
Get verse 14 in the context of speaking about the inevitability 
of Christ's coming judgment against these people. Notice in verse 
15, Christ is coming to execute judgment on all to convict all 
who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds. which 
they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things 
which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude isn't just 
at a loss for words, so he's going to throw in ungodly there 
every fourth word. Jude wants to be sure that his 
audience understands that this isn't just a small little difference 
over doctrine. but rather that these men and 
their perversion of the grace of God are ungodly, ungodly, 
ungodly, ungodly. When anyone comes into the church 
and brings a doctrine that is not Christ's, we don't welcome 
them with open arms and say, come sit in the pews, mingle 
among us so you can go spread your errors and we'll see what 
happens. Everybody has their own opinion 
on things. No, not in the church of Christ 
and not when it comes. to matters that divide the damned 
and the saved. It is the case that doctrine 
really mattered to Jude. Doctrine really mattered to Christ. 
Doctrine, by virtue of Christ saving his apostles unto service 
in God's kingdom, mattered to them, mattered to the apostles, 
and it matters here to Jude, the writer of this epistle. Doctrine 
is very important, such to the point that Jude again calls these 
men ungodly four times. Notice what peculiarly, though 
it's poetic language, what some of this activity is by these 
ungodly men. Verse 12. These are spots in 
your love feasts while they feast with you. without fear. You may 
have a marginal reading or a note in your Bible that says stains 
or hidden reefs with regards to the word spots. These are 
hidden reefs in your love feast while they feast with you without 
fear. In other words, the love feast 
was a time where there would be instruction in the church, 
where there'd be instruction, the giving of doctrine, the teaching 
and the learning concerning the things of Jesus Christ. Well, 
these men were coming in and without fear were given the pulpit, 
if you will, were given were given the teacher's table in 
order to bring their heresies before the church. They were 
hidden reefs. The imagery sees a ship in shallow 
waters hitting a hidden reef and becoming shipwrecked. That's 
the danger that's in view here. These false teachers were hidden 
reefs in your love feast, teaching error, teaching heresy to cause 
you to be shipwrecked of faith. The language continues here, 
serving only themselves. They are clouds without water. 
Clouds without water. The imagery here is that on the 
surface they might have promise. It might be the case that what's 
in view here is a drought and there are clouds in view coming 
with the promise of rain, with the promise of watering the ground 
so that it would be usable again for agriculture. But the clouds 
come and the clouds are carried away by the wind, never having 
dropped their bounteous water. That's what these teachers are 
like, these errorists. They come in, oh, with much pomp 
and much promise, but what they deliver is damnable heresy. What 
they deliver is error, and it is against Christ. Again, the 
language continues, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, 
pulled up by the roots. You see, this is so serious to 
Jude that they're not just alive trees bearing no fruit. They 
are so ungodly that they are trees without fruit that are 
twice dead and pulled up by the roots. This is very important 
to the author, Jude. It's not just the case that they're 
coming in talking about, oh, maybe just a marginal reading 
of some text that is fully acceptable within the bounds of orthodoxy. 
It's not just that they're coming and Jude's church is all millennial. They're post-millennial. No, 
they're coming in with damnable doctrine. And they are finding, 
without fear, place in the love feast to instruct concerning 
this damnable doctrine. And so Jude is pulling no punches. 
These men are like trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled out 
by the roots. You don't have any part of them. 
They bear no fruit at all. You don't listen to that garbage. Raging waves of the sea foaming 
up their own shame, wandering stars for whom is reserved the 
blackness of darkness forever. Wandering stars may have in view 
a couple different options. One of the views here is that 
moving stars, rather than fixing upon a fixed star for navigational 
purposes, it's a star that's moving, a comet, a meteor, something 
like that, where its position changes. It's unreliable. You 
cannot fix your ship to a moving navigational point in the sky. 
It's not going to be faithful. It's not going to be reliable. 
And so these men, obviously, by this strengthened, strong, 
repeated language that Jude is using here, poetic language are 
useless. They are ungodly. He says it 
six times and you can have nothing to do with that. Not only is 
all of this true, but what Jude wants to make sure his audience 
understands is the certainty of their destruction and their 
condemnation. That's what's in view here also. 
And actually, right from the outset, verse four, for certain 
men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for 
this condemnation. These ungodly men are marked 
out for this condemnation. In fact, we read language like 
that this morning in second in first Peter two. Therefore, to 
you who believe he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, 
the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief 
cornerstone and a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense. They stumble 
being disobedient to the word note to which they also were 
appointed. These false teachers were beforehand 
written out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace 
of our God into lewdness. The fact and the certainty of 
their judgment continues, as Jude alludes to, but brings into 
reference three occasions where the Lord rendered judgment. in 
redemptive history. The first example here is the 
people, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. Having 
saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed 
those who did not believe. Well, first off, we need to see 
this, verse 5, right at the beginning. But I want to remind you, though 
you once knew this, I think what may be in view here, obviously, 
is the forgetfulness of Jude's audience. I want to remind you, 
though you once knew this, they were told before, most likely 
concerning the judgment of these errorists who would come in, 
that they most certainly would be condemned, that they most 
certainly would be destroyed. And I think it's a means of exhorting 
them. Because, believe it or not, brethren, 
we are to take great comfort in the inevitability of the doom 
of the wicked. And I think we got that or we 
looked at it briefly this morning when we looked at first Peter, 
chapter two, Jesus Christ, when he was reviled, did not revile 
in return when he suffered. He did not threaten, but committed 
himself to him who judges righteously. And this and what we noted was 
that Jesus committed not just himself, but also the wrongdoers 
and the situation to God who judges righteously. So we are 
to take comfort in and to be resigned to the fact that that 
those who are ungodly, the enemies, the opposition of Jesus Christ 
and his glorious gospel will will meet their proper recompense. They will be judged. They will 
be condemned. And we ought to take great comfort 
that the name of Yahweh will be vindicated in the earth and 
and at the end of time. But again, these three examples, 
the people in Egypt, the angels who did not keep their proper 
dominion, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness 
for the judgment of the great day. And also in these people 
of Sodom and Gomorrah are more light. This is where he draws 
a more of a direct comparison, at least to morality and conduct 
on the part of the air as Sodom and Gomorrah, verse seven, and 
the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given 
themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh 
are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal 
fire. And lastly, with regards to their 
certain doom, verse 14, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied 
about these men also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten 
thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all 
who are ungodly. Now, we ought to look at that, 
brethren, and just maybe, if it's still in your minds, maybe 
it's already gone, but the sermon from this morning, 1 Peter 2. Jesus Christ, and just the picture 
of the Lord Jesus Christ as one reviled who didn't revile in 
return. One on the cross who, when he 
suffered, did not threaten, but committed himself to him who 
judges righteously. Well, look at Jesus now. Consider 
the audience only, let's say, 30 years, 30 years after the 
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 30 years after the crucifixion 
of Jesus, we have this Lord Jesus coming with 10,000 of his saints 
to execute judgment. It's a vindication of Jesus Christ, 
a vindication of this one who was, yes, put to death according 
to the predetermined knowledge and the foreknowledge of God 
and the purpose of God, but nevertheless delivered up by lawless hands. 
He comes with vengeance against all of his enemies. Well, secondly, 
brethren, after considering these who have crept in on notice, 
notice the contending ones opposed to these who are ungodly in opposition 
to these who are ungodly. We have verse one, the called, 
the sanctified and the preserved in Jesus Christ. You see, there 
are these who are ungodly. But there are those who are the 
beloved, those who are the called, the sanctified and the preserved 
in Jesus. Now, this is true. These three 
things are true. Theologically speaking of the 
audience, they have been called. They have been and are being 
sanctified, and they are being and will be preserved in Jesus 
Christ. But I think there is something 
that is set against the ungodly here also. You see, these ungodly, 
these ungodly men that Jude is writing against were what have 
been called incipient Gnostics. I defined that on Wednesday, 
but I'll define it again. Incipient simply means incipient, 
simply means in its beginning stages. This wasn't the full-blown 
Gnosticism of the second and third centuries, so it was incipient. It was in its beginning stages. 
And they were Gnostics. It was an intermingling of Greek 
mysticism, Eastern mysticism, and Christianity. One of their 
things was you had to be an initiate with special knowledge. That's 
what is the root of the word Gnosticism. You had to have this 
special knowledge. You had to be called, in a sense. 
Well, they were the falsely called. These were the truly called, 
called by Jesus Christ, called in God's appointed and accepted 
time. They were sanctified by God, 
the father, in opposition to these who turn the grace of God 
into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and Lord Jesus Christ 
in opposition to these who were clearly ungodly. These these 
contending ones were being sanctified, were being conformed to the image. 
of Jesus Christ, and they were preserved in opposition to the 
ungodly. He would most certainly be judged 
by God. These would be free of judgment, 
being found, being found righteous in Jesus Christ. They would be 
preserved by him unto that great day. So, and Jude actually sets 
them in opposition to the ungodly in verse twenty. Well, actually, 
in verse seventeen, but you beloved, and then in verse twenty, but 
you beloved, there is a separation, a distinction that Jude most 
certainly makes between the conduct and the status of the ungodly 
and the conduct and the status of those who were contending. 
Now, notice their their responsibility here. Verse three, while I was 
very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, 
I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend 
earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to 
the saints. They had a responsibility here 
in response to the ungodly bringing in their errors. They were charged 
with the task of contending earnestly for the faith, which was once 
for all delivered to the saints. There's a few things here. This 
contending earnestly carries with it the notion of a military 
marching or of athletes in a contest. Striving is a word that Paul 
uses, and it's similar to the meaning here when Paul writes 
in Philippians that the church at Philippi was to stand fast 
in one spirit with one mind, striving for the faith of the 
gospel. That's like an athletic contest. 
a race or any sort of sporting match where great exertion is 
made, where there is a lot of diligence and energy set forth 
in order to win. While Jude says you are to contend 
earnestly, you are to strive for the faith. And this faith 
that is being spoken of here, as we've said before, is Christianity. See, they're to contend for those 
doctrines that have been committed by Christ to the church. have 
been propagated by the apostles. They're charged with defending 
doctrine. And so when these ungodly men 
come in trying to teach ungodly doctrine, Jude says, no, you 
must contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all 
delivered to the saints. This faith, again, is all of 
the propositional content, all of the true statements of Holy 
Scripture committed to the church for her defense, the Trinity. 
Penal substitution. We looked at that this morning. 
I'm not going to give you the list of everyone that Jude has in 
mind, but those important doctrines, those non-negotiables of Christianity, 
salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. 
No works of admixture. So all of those blessed doctrines 
that we as Protestant Christians enjoy and love aren't just things 
that we necessarily are to enjoy and love, but that we are to 
strive for, to contend earnestly for. Anyone wants to come into 
this church propagating error, get out. Get out. Oh, no, you know, have a seat. 
Oh, you want to teach error? OK, well, just let us finish 
first and you can hang out for a while or if you're if you're 
a teacher of damnable heresy and we'll give you food. No. 
Get out. Get out. We're not going to let 
anybody sit in our love feasts. We're not going to let anybody 
set up their hidden reefs to shipwreck any one of our blessed 
sheep in this place. You come with error. You come 
with falsity. You come with damnable doctrine 
and you need to hit the highway. So they're charged to contend 
earnestly for the faith and notice, which was once for all delivered 
to the Saints. This is a characteristic of this 
body of objective propositional truth. It's not being added to. 
It's not being supplemented by anything after the completion 
of the canon. We have everything that we need 
in the 66 pages of the Old and New Testament. You see, there's 
there are teachings out there where even in Protestant Christianity, 
where there is continuing revelation to some degree. Since the gifts 
of the Holy Spirit are still active in some circles, according 
to their theology, then scripture necessarily isn't a closed canon 
can be added by new revelation. Very dangerous, very dangerous. The Roman Catholic Church speaks 
of progressive revelation. In other words, yes, we have 
the Bible, but through the continuing administration of the magisterium, 
the Roman Catholic Church, we are learning. We are gaining 
knowledge. Things are added. Things are supplemented to the 
revealed will of God. We'll have nothing of it. We'll 
have nothing of it. This faith was once for all delivered 
to the saints and we have it. We defend it. We preach it and 
we protect it. So they were charged with a particular 
responsibility to defend the faith against these false teachers. And lastly, they were comforted 
by comforted and assured by divine justice. They were comforted 
and assured by divine justice. You see, they may have been somewhat 
fearing and somewhat grieved, to be sure, by the fact that 
these men have crept in unnoticed and now they're spoiling our 
feasts. They're spoiling our church. They're seeking to steal 
away sheep from us. But Jude reminds them, I want 
to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord will 
or has judged and he will judge these people. In verses 14 and 
15, again, the Lord comes with ten thousands of the saints. 
What a glorious word, what a glorious word that Jude gave to his audience. Yes, these men are ungodly four 
times over, six times over actually. Yes, these men are perverting 
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, but our Lord's coming with 
ten thousands of his saints. They're doing it for ill-gotten 
gain. They're flattering people with great swelling words to 
gain advantage. But oh, our Lord's coming with 
ten thousands of his saints. to render justice, to bring recompense, 
to send them where they ought to be sent for their ungodliness, 
for their perversion, for their rejection of the pure and saving 
Christ. Lastly, brethren, the one who 
keeps us, the one who keeps us thirdly and lastly, we have, 
though in a small book, wonderful, wonderful words concerning Jesus 
Christ. First off, he is our keeper. He is our keeper right from the 
outset. And epistle writers, apostles 
often begin with this sort of language to those who are called 
sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. 
Jesus Christ is our blessed keeper. In fact, the doxology adds to 
this now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling. Isn't that wonderful? Because 
we cause ourselves to stumble each and every day. Or if we 
were left to ourselves, we would most certainly stumble and fall 
every day. And we'd stay there. We'd stay 
there. There'd be no getting up if it 
was left to us. But Jesus Christ is that one, again in John 10, 
who holds us in His divine and unrelenting grip. No one can 
snatch us out of Christ's hand. We're there. He's our shepherd. 
We are his sheep. And there is no grabbing us out 
of the hand of the strong Savior. He is our keeper. We are preserved 
in Jesus Christ. He is able to keep us from stumbling. Jesus Christ is master. We have this language, I'll go 
back to one previous, but we have this language in verse 4. 
They, the errorists, are denying the only Lord God and our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Some of your translations may 
say our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. Yours might say 
our only sovereign and Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that this language 
ought to be rendered in such a way, especially given the similar 
book of Second Peter. And this is an argument for a 
test defending the deity of Jesus Christ. You don't need to turn 
there, but if you can, please do. Second Peter, verse one. of chapter one to those who have 
obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness 
of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see here in Jude 
four, those who deny the only Lord and Lord God and our Lord 
Jesus Christ. There's one article governing 
two nouns, which means Jude is ascribing deity to the Lord Jesus 
Christ here, just like the authors of the New Testament everywhere 
do and the old. Our Lord Jesus Christ is master, 
but notice also with regards to his being master Jude in verse 
one in his self introduction, Jude, a bondservant of Jesus 
Christ and brother of James, Jude, a bondservant of Jesus 
Christ that could be rendered Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ. Jude is a slave of Jesus, and 
he declares such and most certainly joyfully. He has been redeemed 
from the bondage of sin, slavery to it, and he's been redeemed 
unto that wholesome and righteous slavery. Slavery to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Never turn up your nose or never 
straight arm the word slavery as it's biblically defined and 
understood with regards to Christ's saints. We are his bondservants, 
and we do so. We follow the Lamb wherever he 
goes. We rejoice in obedience to Jesus 
Christ. And I noted on Wednesday, and 
it's worth noting again briefly, Jude is Christ's brother. Jude would have lived with Jesus. 
Jude would have spent a lot of time with Jesus. Jude would have 
been spanked by Mary and Joseph. Jesus never, because he was never 
disobedient to his mother and father. Jesus would never revile. Remember, when he was reviled, 
never threatened. Jesus was sinless. Jude would 
have, you know, would have would have lived with Jesus his entire 
life. To be sure, Jude was, as a note, saved after the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ. You did not. He was not a believer. 
He was unsaved. He was not a Christian until 
Jesus was resurrected and he appeared and he appeared again 
after after rising from the grave. But Jude very humbly declares 
that he is a bond servant of his half brother, Jesus Christ. 
Jesus was his master. And yes, Jesus was his brother. 
And he had no doubt set aside those feelings of harboring anger 
against this one who was never spanked by his parents. I don't 
know if that's the case, but we do know that Jude, whatever 
it was, Jude was now a bond servant of Jesus Christ and was exhorting 
Christ's sheep in order to defend his truth and to live godly lives 
before their God. Two more and then we close. Jesus 
Christ is eschatological judge. We've seen that already. Jesus 
Christ as the eschatological judge. Eschatological means the 
end of time. Behold, the Lord comes with ten 
thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all to convict all 
who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds. Now, 
Jesus Christ is eschatological judge, no doubt, because he has 
divine prerogatives being God. But also, if you turn to Acts 
10 with me, it is it is as a result of him being vindicated as judge 
through his death and resurrection. Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 
10, a very powerful passage, verse 30. when you get there. And we are witnesses of all things, 
speaking of Christ, which he did both in the land of the Jews 
and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God 
raised up on the third day and showed him openly. Not to all 
the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to 
us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. 
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify 
that it is he who was ordained by God to be judge of the living 
and the dead. Isn't that startling? Not for us, no, because we're 
you know, we're Christians. We love these truths. We know 
them and we own them. But wouldn't that have been startling 
to this audience? This one who was a bloody massacre 
upon a cursed tree has been ordained to be judge of the living and 
the dead. That's why it was such a such 
a stumbling block, such a rock of offense, not only the simple 
fact of a of a crucified Messiah, the Jews could not endure that. 
But the fact that this Jesus that was being set before the 
Jews by Peter on the day of Pentecost, he says to them, this one whom 
you murdered has been made both Lord and Christ. What a wonderful 
thing. Jesus Christ, the vindication 
of the veracity of his claims of being the Messiah, being God 
manifested in the flesh, being the one that must be believed 
upon for everlasting life, is seen in the fact that he's going 
to come with ten thousands of his saints, rendering justice. And brethren, that is a sobering 
thing. It's a sobering thing if you're 
here tonight and I cannot call you brethren. You don't fall 
under that title. You're not a brother. If that's 
you, it ought to be a terrible thing. That text, the Lord is 
coming with ten thousands of his saints to execute justice. And if you don't believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, that's you. He will execute justice on you. 
I shared it again on Wednesday night, that startling quote, 
a great quote by Charles Spurgeon. He said, look at the Savior now, 
see Christ now as he is covered in his own blood, lest you see 
him later when he's covered in yours. That's sobering. You don't want to be the ones 
who are calling upon the rocks and the trees to hide you from 
the wrath of the Lamb. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. What a blessed position, not 
because we're so great, but because Christ so great. And by grace, 
we believe that we can be called the called, the sanctified, the 
preserved in Jesus Christ. Be one of those who are the contenders 
in this outline, in Jude, who are contending for the faith. 
And don't be marked. Don't wave the banner of the 
ungodly. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. And lastly, because we're reading 
scripture given to us by God, Jesus Christ is the messenger 
sender. Now, we've we've heard the term 
message sender before, but Jesus Christ is a message sender, but 
he's also a messenger sender. Verse 17. But you, beloved, remember 
the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. The word apostle means the sent 
ones. And the apostles were not just 
apostles propagating Christ's doctrine, though they were that 
they were those who were sent by Jesus for that very task. Just one text that is that testifies 
strongly and gloriously to this truth. Jesus Christ, as the messenger 
sender, when he's pronouncing that malediction, Those bad words, 
the imprecation, the curses and the woes upon the scribes and 
Pharisees. He speaks these words. Therefore, 
you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those 
who murdered the prophets. Fill up them the measure of your 
father's guilt, serpents, brood of vipers. How can you escape 
the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you 
prophets. Wise men and scribes, some some 
of them you will kill and crucify and some of them you will scourge 
in your synagogues and persecute from city to city that on you 
may come all the right the righteous blood shed on the earth. Isn't 
that isn't that I'm just I'm always amazed, brethren, because 
right after this, very soon after this, this Jesus Christ again 
is crucified. But you see, he knows what scriptures 
are going to be fulfilled, not just his crucifixion, not just 
his resurrection, but his ascension and his anointing as the conquering 
king who will come in vindictive justice to render divine recompense 
upon his enemies. And it is an aspect he can say 
pre-crucifixion. Therefore, indeed, I send you 
prophets, wise men and scribes, Jesus Christ, verily and truly, 
God. manifested in the flesh, divine 
prerogatives, arguing with great vigor and with great confidence. 
I will send you messengers. Well, brethren, we close again. I think the important that there's 
a lot of important things that we could close with, but I want 
to leave you with this and it's trumpeted so often from this 
pulpit and it shouldn't be the sort of repetitious trumpeting 
that causes you to roll your eyes. We need to love and to 
hold fast. to doctrine. Oh, not just with 
bare academia, not just as cold. I don't even know what curmudgeon's 
is, but it just came to mind. I'll ask Leslie after, but not 
just as cold dogmaticians. Right. We don't just come with 
all penal substitution yet. Point one point two point three. 
No, we glory in this doctrine. We bless the name of our Lord 
for giving us the disposition of mind to be able to embrace, 
to learn and to love. If not every jot and tittle of 
doctrine, then at least those ones that are important, that 
Jesus Christ came into this world, sinners to save. What does that 
contain within it? The holiness of God, the depravity 
of man, the perfection of the saving work of Jesus Christ. 
We hold fast with an ironclad grip upon doctrine. And if anyone 
comes to spew out anything in opposition, get out of here. 
Get out of here. We're about preserving, propagating, 
protecting the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 
so much for the words that we were able to read from our brother 
Jude. We thank you, Lord God, for his diligence in exhorting 
his audience to contend for the faith. And we would pray, Lord 
God, that we would also do that, that we would do likewise, that 
we would hold on with great apologetic vigor that the doctrines of Jesus 
Christ and that we would seek to love them, to know them, to 
defend them, to glory in them. And we pray, Lord God, again, 
that it would just not be bare dogmatism, but that we would 
rejoice in all of these blessed doctrines and that we would seek 
as we are able and where you may place us to defend them and 
to hold tight. And we pray that in this church 
that we would be about these things, that we would be about 
the high and heavy things of protecting and glorying in gospel 
truth and that you would unite us, that we would be as that 
Philippian church was exhorted by Paul, that we would stand 
fast. with one mind, in one spirit, striving for the faith of the 
gospel. We just pray, Lord, that you go with us now, that you 
lift us up in the things of Jesus that we go into this week seeking 
to live unto your honor and unto your glory. And we thank you 
so much that we can call Christ ours and that he calls us his. 
And might we live in a manner befitting our calling by grace. 
And it's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.