.jpg)
Keeping and Being Kept
D. Marion Clark
Jude 1-4, 17-25
Introduction
How does a pastor confront growing sin in his church? How does he arrest the sin's spread and kill the virus? Jude presents a case study of one pastor's effort. He has revealed the sin - perverting grace into sensuality and denying Christ's lordship. He has warned of judgment that such sinners will receive. We will see now how he enables his flock to withstand sin. He will do it through doctrine - reminding them who they are and who God is; and he will do it through exhortation and counsel - instructing them what to do. Be thinking, as we study Jude's letter, about your own struggles with sin and how his words to believers 2,000 years ago can apply to you today.
Text
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Note how the believers are addressed. First, they are ''beloved in God the Father.'' (In the Greek text, ''called'' comes last.) They are in the Father's love. Think of Jesus' image in John 10:29 of us being in the hand of his Father. He has us in his grasp - in his loving grasp, which leads to the second reality to understand about themselves: they are ''kept for Jesus Christ.''
Jude could mean they are kept to belong to Jesus or kept until the return of Jesus when he comes in judgment. He could mean they are kept by Jesus. Whatever the case, the point is that they are kept, preserved, watched over. In verse 6, keeping their watch is what the angels failed to do; also in verse 6, keeping in chains is what God is doing to those same angels. So also in verse 13, what is translated as ''reserved'' forever is the same Greek term. God is keeping the reservations made for sinners. The only difference between the keeping of the saints and of the sinners is that the saints are kept in the love of God, while the sinners are kept in his ...
D. Marion Clark
Jude 1-4, 17-25
Introduction
How does a pastor confront growing sin in his church? How does he arrest the sin's spread and kill the virus? Jude presents a case study of one pastor's effort. He has revealed the sin - perverting grace into sensuality and denying Christ's lordship. He has warned of judgment that such sinners will receive. We will see now how he enables his flock to withstand sin. He will do it through doctrine - reminding them who they are and who God is; and he will do it through exhortation and counsel - instructing them what to do. Be thinking, as we study Jude's letter, about your own struggles with sin and how his words to believers 2,000 years ago can apply to you today.
Text
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Note how the believers are addressed. First, they are ''beloved in God the Father.'' (In the Greek text, ''called'' comes last.) They are in the Father's love. Think of Jesus' image in John 10:29 of us being in the hand of his Father. He has us in his grasp - in his loving grasp, which leads to the second reality to understand about themselves: they are ''kept for Jesus Christ.''
Jude could mean they are kept to belong to Jesus or kept until the return of Jesus when he comes in judgment. He could mean they are kept by Jesus. Whatever the case, the point is that they are kept, preserved, watched over. In verse 6, keeping their watch is what the angels failed to do; also in verse 6, keeping in chains is what God is doing to those same angels. So also in verse 13, what is translated as ''reserved'' forever is the same Greek term. God is keeping the reservations made for sinners. The only difference between the keeping of the saints and of the sinners is that the saints are kept in the love of God, while the sinners are kept in his ...
There are 10924 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
