Jude 4 KJV [4] “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase “crept in unawares” means “to slip in secretly” or “to get in by the side.” These men know how to slide in under the radar. They come in the side door of the church lurking around to find someone weak in the faith. Jude calls these men out in this verse by highlighting their deception, …
“Earnestly Contend for the Faith”
Jude 3 KJV [3] “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The name Jude means praise. Jude wanted to praise God for the great salvation we have in Christ. But the Spirit of God led him to write about a more pressing matter. It was more needful to write about the battle over the truth. Apostates were rising up, and someone had to call them …
“God’s Multiplication”
Jude 2 KJV [2] “Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.” What does it mean to be a child of God? According to verse one, we are sanctified, which means set apart. We are also preserved, which means carefully watched and guarded. Finally, we see in verse one that we are called. That means that it was the Godhead that took the initiative in our lives. What a blessing to know that the Father has set us apart, and the Son carefully watches and guards us. It is a blessing to know that salvation began in the …
“Jude the Brother of James”
Jude 1 KJV [1] “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:” What is the connection between the book of James and the book of Jude? The answer is before us in our text. Jude, the author of this epistle, had a strong connection with James. He was his brother in the flesh and his brother in the family of God. These two brothers were connected spiritually and physically by birth. Jude was also the half-brother of our Lord Jesus …
“A Heart for the Wayward”
James 5:20 KJV [20] “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” The sinner in our text is a believer, not an unbeliever. Sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of an unbeliever. We expect unbelievers to sin, but God expects His children to obey His Word, and He will chasten His children whenever they fail to do so. We should always attempt to win the lost, but we must not …
“A Backslidden Brother”
James 5:19 KJV [19] “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;” James mentions two men in our text. He first speaks of a careless backslider, and then a concerned brother is mentioned. We have witnessed both types of men, and honestly, we have been both. These are certainly two men to whom we can all relate. Consider the first man in our text. He is a brother who has erred from the truth. He has made a conscious choice to go his own way. He drifted from what once held him …
“The Second Prayer”
James 5:18 KJV [18] “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” The second prayer of Elijah brought about a second miracle. It was amazing to see the Lord shut up the heavens, but an even greater witness to see Him open them up again! The second prayer proved several things to Elijah and those who witnessed the event. First, it proved that the Lord had not yet finished His work. For three and half years, there had been no rain, and some questioned if it would ever rain again, …
“The Earnest Prayer”
James 5:17 KJV [17] “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” Elijah was not a superman, but he was a spiritual man. He was a man who believed in prayer. He prayed believing, he prayed persistently, and he prayed earnestly. That is how we should pray today for our nation and our churches. Earnest prayer is the greatest need of the hour. May the Lord burden our hearts to go deeper …
“The Man of Prayer”
James 5:16 KJV [16] “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” To be right with God, we must confess our sins to Him, but we must also confess our sins to one another. We do not hear a lot of teaching and preaching on that today. We promote testimony services, but what about confession services? If we had more confession services, we would have more testimonial services. I’m not talking about airing out our dirty laundry because there are things …
“The Prayer of Faith”
James 5:15 KJV [15] “and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James is not giving us a blanket formula for healing the sick. Many believers have fallen sick with a terminal illness and passed away. It was the Father’s will for them to leave us, and no prayer was going to heal their body. Prayer is not to accomplish our will but to accomplish the Father’s will. The key phrase in verse fifteen is “if he have committed …