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INDEX
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Introduction
Salutation verses 1-2
The
Letter's purpose v.3-4
Historical warning v.
5-7
The False teachers v. 8-11
A blemish in the church v. 12-13
Enoch's prophecy v. 14-16
Apostolic teaching v. 17-19
Exhortation to believers v. 20-23
Doxology v. 24-25
Conclusion
References
& Bibliography
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Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you
from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and
with great joy--
Jude 1:25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty,
power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and
forevermore! Amen.
William Barclay presents a very revealing
insight into Jude's last words and I have included them for you to feast upon
in your personal studies of the word of God.
"JUDE comes to an end with a tremendous
ascription of praise. Three times in the New Testament praise is given to the
God who is able. In Romans 16: 25 Paul gives praise to the God who is able to
strengthen us. God is the one person who can give us a foundation for life
which nothing and no one can ever shake. In Ephesians 3: 20 Paul gives praise
to the God who is able to .do far more than we can ever ask or even dream of.
He is the God whose grace no man has ever exhausted and on whom no claim can
ever be too much. . Here Jude offers his praise to the God who is able. .
(i) God is able to keep us from slipping. The word is aptaistos. It is used
both of a sure-footed horse, which does not stumble, and of a man who does not
fall into error. He will not let your foot be moved," or as the Scottish
metrical version has it, "Thy foot he'll not let slide" (Psalm 121: 3). To walk
with God is to walk in safety even on the most dangerous and the most slippery
path. In mountaineering climbers are roped together so that even if the
inexperienced climber should slip, the skilled mountaineer can take his weight
and save him. Even so, when we bind ourselves to God, he keeps us safe.
(ii) He can make us stand blameless in the presence of his glory. The
word for blameless is amiimos. This is characteristically a sacrificial word;
and it is commonly and technically used of an animal which is without spot or
blemish and is therefore fit to be offered to God. The amazing thing is that
when we submit ourselves to God, his grace can make our lives nothing less than
a sacrifice fit to offer to him.
(iii) He can bring us into his
presence exultant. Surely the natural way to think of entry into the presence
of God is in fear and in shame. But by the work of Jesus Christ and in the
grace of God, we know that we can go to God with joy and with all fear
banished. Through Jesus Christ, God the stern Judge has become known to us as
God the loving Father.
We note one last thing. Usually we associate
the word Saviour with Jesus Christ, but here Jude attaches it to God. He is not
alone in this, for God is often called Saviour in the New Testament (Luke I:
47; I Timothy I: I; 2: 3; 4: 10; Titus I: 3; 2: 10; 3: 4). So we end with the
great and comforting certainty that at the back of everything there is a God
whose name is Saviour. The Christian has the joyous certainty that in this
world he lives in the love of God and that in the next world he goes to that
love. The love of God is at once the atmosphere and the goal of all his
living." [p] .
Introduction / Salutation verses
1 -2 / The Letter's purpose v.3-4 /
Historical warning v. 5-7
The False teachers v. 8-11 / A blemish in the church v. 12-13 / Enoch's prophecy v. 14-16
Apostolic teaching v. 17-19 /
Exhortation to believers v. 20-23 /
Doxology v. 24-25
Conclusion / References
& Bibliography
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