October 21, 2020
Hey, Jude . . .
Jude 3
Jonathan Goodale
Central Truth
Beware, ungodly people have crept into our community unnoticed. They defile the flesh and deny that the Lord Jesus is the Savior. We must not be silent and must contend for the truth.
Key Verse | Jude 3
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 3
Judgment on False Teachers
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Dive Deeper | Jude 3
Jude wanted to teach on salvation, but God called him to sound the alarm about false prophets. After his warm greetings to the saints, he called out "certain people" that were corrupting the early church. Jude reminds us that the scourge of false teachers was not new then, and he concludes by giving us the path to persevere.
In 1 Peter 3:15, we are instructed to "make a defense" of our faith for our hope and the truth to anyone, even to some ungodly people in our congregation. Reading Jude, I see that the corruption in our modern world is nothing new at all, but was obvious throughout the Bible. Some writers think early Gnosticism was part of Jude's concern.
I grew up as an agnostic and was certainly a "loud-mouthed boaster" ignorant of my need for a Savior. Throughout my life, God has redirected my path to Him. In 2016 we decided to leave our home in Houston and move to North Texas to reside closer to our children and grandchildren. We were "eager to" purchase a house and then move up in stages to allow me to transition from my vocation and ease the stress of the move on my 90-year-old mother-in-law and wife. We found a house and started stage one. Then when our home flooded, "I found it necessary" to contend with a rapid and stressful relocation.
I was not seeking Him, but God found me early in my marriage (Romans 10:20); and by His grace Judy and I now get to contend for the faith while serving together at Watermark's Urgent Care Clinic in Plano. God had a plan and He mercifully directed us.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever felt a need to do one thing, and then God directed you elsewhere? How did you respond?
2. What does it mean for you "to contend for the faith"?
3. Do you think of yourself as a contender? Why or why not?
4. How can you recognize a false prophet?