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JUDE I. BACKGROUND
1. Author
- Jude (possibly the brother of the Lord):
see verse 1; Matthew
13:55; Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5 2. Date
- A.D. 60's (mid to late 60's): see
verse 17 3. Setting
- It is probably written to Jewish Christians who have not noticed ungodly
persons or just ungodliness in the church (in the Palestine area). II. PURPOSE OF THE BOOK
1. Key
verses: 3 & 4 2. Purpose: To get the Christians to contend for the
faith. 1) Contend - to continually strive earnestly: see verse 3; Compare with 1 Timothy
6:11-12 2) The faith - In this context, the faith seems to be a godly way of
life, not rules or regulations or some "doctrine": see verses 4 and 16-21. 3) Similar ideas - Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ: Philippians
1:27; Titus 1:10-2:1; 2 Peter 2:1-3:18; 1 Timothy 6:11-12 3. Contend
for the faith by: 1) Noticing the sins of the ungodly:
see verses 4-19 2) Remembering that they will be judged by God: see verse 5 3) Building each other up:
see verses 20-21 4) Helping those caught in sin:
see verses 22-23 5) Trusting in God: see
verses 1, 2, 24, 25 III. APPLICATIONS - LESSONS
1. Leaders
need to know what the brethren need to be taught: see verses 3-4 1) Concerning godliness: see
verses 4, 16-21 2) Concerning the grace of our God:
see verse 4 3) Concerning the way of ungodly men, so as to warn others: see
verses 4, 5-19 2. Leaders
need to teach what the brethren need, not what the leaders would like to
teach: see verses 3-4, and make application to the above-mentioned
points. 3. In
teaching use examples that the brethren understand and /or know about: see verses 5-15 1) Jude mentioned examples of: a. Israelities:
verse 5 b. angels:
verse 5 c. Sodom and Gomorrah: verse 7 d. Michael, the archangel and Moses: verse 9 e. Cain, Balaam, and
Korah: verse 11 f. Enoch and Adam: verse 14 g. Symbolic figures: verses 12-13 2) We should use examples that are understandable like: a. Biblical ones, if they are known! b. Cultural ones, that reveal the truth! c. Historical ones, that fit with God's way! 4. Speak
powerfully against sin: see verses
10-13 5. Be
on the alert; evil men can creep in unnoticed: see verse 4 1) These may be respected men, who do not outwardly show their evil,
but inwardly are corrupt: Matthew
23:27-28 2) These may even be leaders in the church: Acts 20:17, 28-32 3) These are actually undevoted men:
verse 4 ("ungodly" = undevoted") 6. We
must expose the actions and hearts of ungodly men: see verses 15-19 JUDE
QUESTIONS
1. True or False: _____ 1) Jude wanted to write about their common salvation. _____ 2) Jude used some Old Testament examples to make his points. _____ 3) It would be easy to see the ungodly in the church. _____ 4) Michael was an archangel. _____ 5) Since a Christian is under grace, he does not have to obey
any laws. 2. What does it mean to turn grace into a
license for immorality? (see Jude 4) 3. Matching : Write a "u" before the action of the ungodly and
write a "g" before the
action of the godly. _____
1) Reject authority _____
2) Have mercy on some _____
3) Worldly-minded _____
4) Save others _____
5) Grumbling _____
6) Build yourselves up _____
7) Remember the apostle's words _____
8) Caring for themselves 4. How will you build yourselves up? 5. List
the sins of the ungodly identified by Jude: 6. How should we contend for the faith? (practical actions) 7. How can such ungodly people sneak in
unnoticed among us? 8. What is the importance of using Old Testament
examples and other similar examples in teaching people? |