Jude 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals – these are the very things that destroy them.
 
WE begin to understand Jude when we read Deuteronomy 34:5-6 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.
   We see, then, that the Lord buried Moses. An historical Jewish book called The Assumption of Moses describes this spiritual dispute between the archangel Michael and Satan. Because the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant word, Jude confirms this. How does Michael’s refusal to bring a slanderous accusation against Satan relate to Jude’s warning against false teachers?
   This is about placing the sinners into God’s hand. Michael is one of  seven archangels who have special rank in God’s presence: Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Scripture identifies Michael three additional times in Daniel 10, 12 and Revelation 12 as he leads the wars against Satan: Revelation 12:7 Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. A second archangel you know is Gabriel. Remember, he came to Zechariah and Mary in Luke 1, and he also appears in Daniel 8 & 9. His primary role is to deliver messages from God to his anointed servants.
   Why, then, did Michael not bring a slanderous accusation against Satan, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude’s point is that Michael respected the LORD God’s authority to deal with Satan. In his lessons from God’s history of judgment, Jude stresses the church must stand on Gods’ authority by doing two things: battle for the truth and rebuke the sinners in the name of the Sovereign Lord Jesus.
   Those who taught that God’s grace permitted a license for immorality and denied Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord rejected all authority. In their own eyes, they were God’s authority. They were the same as Pharaoh, who said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him?” (Exodus 5:2) False teachers defraud the world with their pompous words and self-proclaimed knowledge. Jude teaches us God will judge. We are to be aware as Michael before Satan. Know what’s right and rebuke the false teachers. Trust you have the same power at your disposal as Michael does. Remember, you are of Christ, and Christ is of God (1 Corinthians 3:23).

Jude 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. 8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 

JUDE adds the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah as his fourth example of God’s past judgments. Naming God’s judgment on false prophets, Israel’s rebellion and the angels’ rebellion, Jude is listing some of the most grievous sins recorded in the Old Testament. Note there are large numbers in each category. Sin that begins with one or a few voices can infect many people to their destruction. The church needs to know this. False teachings must never be allowed in Jesus’ church. 
Sodom’s and Gomorrah’s judgment speaks directly to the threat of sexual immorality that threatens the church. The destruction of those cities is as well-known as any story in the Bible. There is a similar story of the same sin in Judges 19. The men of Gibeah, a town of the Benjamites, committed great sin that nearly led to the extermination of the tribe of Benjamin. God’s people should know God’s judgment against homosexuality. For any church to assume God will no longer see these acts as sin is an abomination as great as the sin. 
God is just, constant and true. He graciously gives us his good laws to structure our lives. He promises blessing as we obey them. Curses if we disobey. He does not change his mind about right and wrong. We can be thankful for that. 
How could we worship God and trust his salvation if he changed what is sin and what is not? We would never know if we are pleasing him or if we are rejecting him. 
We must remember we are created male and female in God’s image to have a holy relationship with him through Jesus’ broken body and blood poured out for us. When we confess faith in Jesus, we are confessing faith in the Son of God who suffered and died to redeem us. No teaching that opposes God’s Word should infect our minds. We can easily settle any debates on , “What is true?” with our faith in the truth. 
Again, Jude was telling the church to look into history to understand the truth and to know sin’s consequences. They would see that there is an absolute truth to God’s Word that we must absolutely obey to be his church. 
How, then, does the church respond to all forms of sexual immorality? We do so in the same way God confronts all sin. Because he is love, he has told us what is true. He has given us the way to know the truth and to be saved in the truth. That is our mission. Saved in the understanding of God’s true Word, we must tell people what is wrong and what is right. And we pray the Spirit to work his power to awaken them. 
Be kind and merciful. Be steadfast and true. 
 

Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home – these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
 
HERE is Jude’s third reference to the evidence of God’s judgment. We must keep in mind what God has done in the past. This gives us confidence to trust God will do as he says in the future. The Bible tells us God is Judge, and he is redeemer.
   Jude referred here to Satan and the angels who rebelled in heaven. We learn about this in Ezekiel 28:15-17 You (Satan) were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread actions you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”
   Rebellious angels are kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. There is no hope for them because God will judge them into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14).
   We can’t imagine the great regret that will eternally plague these demons as they consider heaven’s glory is no longer possible. God’s created chosen angels and God’s created chosen people rebelled against God’s glory. They rejected him. They were cast out, chained in their sins without escape.
   Jude is God’s urgent call to carefully and firmly guard Jesus’ truth. Many churches today rebel against God’s promises when they tolerate and condone sin. We must be faithful to remain in Jesus, so he will remain in us. John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
   God’s love created the glorious angels. Some rebelled. God’s love created mankind. We have rebelled. God’s love sent Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. Some have believed. I pray you are among the believers. Hold fast to the truth. Live in God’s glory now and forever.  

Jude 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
 
HERE is Jude’s second historical example of God’s sovereign authority. He is contending for the church, urging them to reject the false teachings on sexual immorality. Jude first reminded the church of God’s judgment on false prophets. Here he reminds them of Israel’s rebellion in the desert.   
   Numbers 13-14 tells of God’s command to send 12 spies into the Promised Land to prepare for Israel’s settlement there. But 10 of the 12 spies returned afraid of the people and their fortified cities. Only Joshua and Caleb encouraged the nation to trust God’s promise and settle in the good land he had prepared.
   But the people rebelled, and they refused to go. To God this was a capital offense, worthy of death. God judged them to a 40-year sentence in the desert where the rebellious people would die: Numbers 14:22 “not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. 23 They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it.”
   This contemptable rebellion is a tragic mark on Israel’s history. Instead of a purposeful life in a fertile land, they lived a wasted existence in the barren desert. Two generations missed God’s blessing because they listened to “false teachers” – the spies who wept in fear, rejecting God’s promises.
   These same people had seen God’s supreme power over the world. With his mighty hand and outstretched arm, God had delivered Israel out of slavery. He brought them to himself to unite with God under his perfect law. But they still rejected his commands and his promises.
   Jude, then, urged the church to be different than their rebellious, condemned ancestors. They must remember Jesus Christ is the Savior come to earth, exhibiting God’s Sovereign authority over death. Jude was among those who witnessed Jesus’ ascension. Jude knows he is alive and is coming again. By grace through the confession of their sins, he has set these new believers free from sin’s bondage. The Sovereign Lord has promised an eternal home in heaven. Jude is as the faithful Caleb and Joshua, encouraging God’s people to believe God’s promises.
   False teachers always want to dismiss and diminish God’s truth. Remember what God has done to redeem a nation and to redeem you. Know the truth and hold the truth tightly to your heart.
 
 

Jude 1-3 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
 
JUDE was a half-brother of Jesus. Note he does not say that here. He is a servant of Jesus Christ. He is also the brother of James, another so of Mary and Joseph. James wrote the epistle, James, and he was a leader of the early church in Jerusalem. Jude wrote this letter about 50 AD, much earlier than John’s letters. Verse 3 is Jude’s purpose for the letter: He was eager to write and rejoice in their salvation. But the church was under attack from people who taught all forms of sexual conduct was appropriate in God’s grace.
   Jude wrote to help Jesus’ church contend for Jesus’ truth. Jude 4: For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
   Several times Jude will use examples from history to prove God’s absolute authority. When he wrote of men whose condemnation was written about long ago, he referred to God’s judgment on false prophets as written in Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. God condemns those who pretend to speak in his name.
   The godless men taught that God’s grace was a license for immorality. The Greek root of this phrase refers to an open and excessive indulgence in sexual sin. To these people, freedom in Christ was fulfill any fleshly desire without rebuke. In Jesus, they claimed, the Christian is above moral law.
   We know this type of “freedom” still deeply infects the churches. In the name of Jesus’ love, churches approve and administer gay and lesbian “marriage” and accept other sexually immoral (Revelation 21:8) perversions. To teach such evil is acceptable or tolerable is to commit the greatest sin of all – to deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
   Jude dismisses the false teachers, and he elevates Jesus to be the only Sovereign. There is no other authority. Peter and all the apostles have made that clear: Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
   The world contends against Jesus. We are saved to contend for him. Be faithful against the corruption that threatens your church and your family. It is a pandemic that threatens our souls. WE must inoculate our hearts with a deep injection of God’s inspired, inerrant Word. 

2 John 12-13 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your chosen sister send their greetings.
 
WE are created to be with other people. When God completed his work of creation the only thing that was not good was Adam living by himself. Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” As his helper, Eve was to add to the man, so they would be together in such godly traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control between them. Together they were to rule over God’s creation. God and the first couple enjoyed a very personal and loving face-to-face relationship.
   Sin’s first impact on that relationship caused Adam and Eve to hide from God. In their shame, they could not look upon God’s face.
   We still want the face-to-face fellowship lost in Eden. It is mankind’s inherited desire to be in complete union with God and to see God’s face again. It is God’s desire, too. That’s his promise through the cross. Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Eternity is enjoying the same relationship with God as the first couple knew in Eden’s perfection.
   John could write letters to fill many pages, but the best way to communicate with the church is to meet face-to-face. This is foundational to all organizations. People need to meet in person for the most effective communications. Successful families take time to be with each other. Personal relationships demand personal contact.
   That’s why people are lonely. Amid our technology that can connect instantly with someone on the other side of the world, we feel out of touch because we don’t touch each other. Somehow we have too little time for each other. The pandemic has caused many to reject the personal relationships of the church. Watching worship online may be good for those unable to attend. But it is “not good for them to be alone” if they have strength and health to join with others.
   When did you last show hospitality to invite someone into your home? Or who should you call to meet for a time to be together? Who do you need to meet face-to-face? Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
 

​2 John 7-11 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.
 
TO work is to put forth an effort to accomplish some task. We work for a meal. We work for an education. We work to develop and maintain a relationship. When we work for something, we want to keep it.
   Have you thought of your faith in this way? When the Spirit initiated your faith in Jesus, it’s as if God gave you an assignment: “Work to get to know me.” Hopefully you then began a series of work habits such as Bible study, prayer, worship attendance and service in the use of your gifts. If such work has been steady and purposeful, you have come to know God more personally and effectively. This is the work of your salvation. As you’ve seen the results of a Jesus-centered life, you have come to treasure your faith. You want to keep it.
   To do so, John urges you to guard your treasure carefully, so you will be rewarded fully. This is gaining the benefits of a holy life. God’s full reward is his blessings of a full love relationship with him.
   Deceivers can easily steal this reward if you waiver from your work. The early church was threatened with deceivers who did not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the second time John referred to a false doctrine known as Docetism that said Jesus was only a Spirit.
   John warns you to not run ahead of the truth. In other words, stay in the fellowship of the church. Learn from true teachers. Any who teach differently are not of God. The apostles are the authorities. They had personal experience with Jesus. If they say Jesus was a man of flesh, there is no dispute. If they say he died and rose again, this is true teaching. They taught of their personal knowledge of Christ in the Spirit’s power.
   To think someone has had a new revelation of Jesus is to deny God. Running ahead of the truth is leaving the truth behind.
   John also instructs the church to keep the deceivers from the house, which is the church. We must be aware of this in our personal faith walk as well. As Christians we are to be hospitable and have empathy for others. But warning bells should sound in your heart if someone tries to convince you of things that are not in the Bible. Your task is to persuade them to the true Jesus. If they do not listen, you are not to meet with such people.
   Be steady in your work. Continue to build a strong relationship with God, and be willing to work to keep it. Much in the world says, “Come my way.” God says, “Stay with me.”       

 

2 John 4-6 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
 
WHAT do you think? Are only some people in the church walking in the truth? That seems to be John’s meaning in verse 4. But most believe the apostle is referring to people from the church or churches he had recently met face-to-face. It is unlikely he would express joy if only some of the people in the church were walking in faith.
   How is your walk? What would the apostle say of your relationship with Jesus and his church? Would he joyfully say that you walk in love?
   This is a difficult walk, isn’t it? “Love” is an active, personal relationship with others, and that’s not easy. To love others means you must submit yourself to others’ needs. If someone is sick, you may need to get food for him, sit with him or help with work around his home. If someone needs money, you may have to give of your earnings, so she can have food. Love means helping someone repair his front door or comforting someone who mourns.
   Love is hard. It means forgiving when you don’t want to and being patient when your patience has run out. Love is telling someone to stop his sin and get right with God. True love has consequences. Someone may reject your love that wants to help. People will likely separate themselves from you because you love them enough to tell them about their sin and Jesus’ salvation.    
   Some of you may live where such love can cause you to be persecuted. Some love others so deeply, they are martyred for their love.
   And isn’t that kind of love the foundation of our faith? This is the true Jesus love we have been called to do for one another.
   To walk in love is never a command about simply being nice to people. Walking is action that requires energy and strength. Walking in love fortifies your love and moves forward with purpose into a deeper faith.
   In the same manner, when a church walks in sacrificial love, it is a purposeful body gaining strength. A church that walks in love with Jesus trusts Jesus’ love. You are willing to extend your boundaries into new ministries. You look for opportunities to love others, so you can magnify Christ to those lost in despair. Remember, love  always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:7-8a)
           

2 John 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ as we live in truth and love.
 
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
 
JOHN’S greeting of grace, mercy and peace is an expression of God’s enduring love for you.
   Grace is God’s undeserved favor on the sinner to save you AND give you the strength to live for him. The only other time John wrote of grace is to introduce the wonder of God’s glorious gift in John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Father’s way to reveal grace to the believer. Grace, then, is not a one-day gift that grants you salvation. Grace is God’s gift that remains open and active to empower your earthly life under God’s blessings unto your eternal life.
   The same is true for mercy and peace. Think of God’s mercy. When is it visible? You begin to see it in Genesis when God clothed the sinners Adam and Eve. His mercy preserved the human race. Then he mercifully preserved a remnant in Israel, so the Father could mercifully send the Savior. His mercy extends to the world today to widen the gospel throughout the nations.
   You experience God’s mercy when you go to church. He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5) You know God’s mercy because he has taught you to pray. Each time you pray in faith, you can know the merciful LORD God hears your prayers and answers them according to his will for your life.
   The first-century Jews saw God’s mercy extend to the Gentiles. And these early Christians exhibited God’s mercy as they ministered to the sick and unwanted. Christians have been merciful to the nations t throughout the centuries, establishing hospitals, schools and economic systems to improve the human condition.
   In God’s grace and mercy you have peace. This, too, is an ongoing gift under God’s sovereign protection. Saved through Jesus’ blood, you have peace in your soul because you have no worry regarding your home in heaven. You can continually thank God that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7). How marvelous is your peace when you know God’s Spirit has resurrected you from sin’s death into a glorious fellowship with the holy Trinity.
   May you continually rejoice in God’s grace, mercy and peace. Amen.
           

2 John 1-2 Greetings from the Elder. To the lady chosen by God and to her children. I truly love all of you. And I am not the only one. All those who know the truth love you in the same way. 2 We love you because of the truth, the truth that lives in us. That truth will be with us forever.
 
THERE are likely two reasons John refers to himself as elder. One is his age. He wrote this about 60 years after he walked with Jesus. The second reason reveals John’s desire to more personally connect with the lady – the church – to whom he wrote. The role of elder was established early in the church’s history. These were men the apostles appointed to oversee the churches they began. Timothy, for example, was an elder in the Ephesus church. Even though John’s apostolic role is certain, John wrote to this church – or group of churches – as one who had a personal relationship with them.
   The lady is the church. Her children are members of the church – children of God – as John wrote in his gospel and first epistle. Once again, to counter many false doctrines, John emphasized the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ. Such a wondrous truth forms an eternal love within all who believe!
   One can almost hear John’s heart beating for God’s children. I truly love all of you is a magnificent confession from a Jesus-centered heart. John is a true Jesus’ disciple. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
   Stop for a minute to focus on that verse. We’ve heard it so much, it may roll from our mind with little consideration. But think of love’s high importance and life-giving influence. John was a wonderful example of Jesus’ love living deeply in one’s heart. His love generously entered into a world of opposition, bigotry, pride and competition.
   The Holy spirit had filled John with Jesus’ character. John’s love is truly Jesus-like, willing to suffer for the truth, eager to explain the truth and ready to love all who seek the truth.
   Love’s truth is the foundation of a strong, vibrant Christian community because love’s truth is Jesus. This love is your God-given genetics that transfers from the Lord to you. When you inherit eternal life, you inherit love from the Father. That love is the truth that lives in us as completely as we are human.
   And God’s true love is more. That truth will be with us forever. Once we have received the truth, we have it. We turn to Jesus and use it. In truth we live in the assurance we are forever kingdom citizens.
   There were in the 1st century and there are today many challenges to our trust in the truth. The Spirit silences the challenges. He has given us the truth, so we know we are safe, victorious and eternal in Jesus’ true love.