This passage asks one major question: what do you do when the world mistreats you? 

In John 15:18, Jesus tells us we’re going to be hated because the world hates him. What do you do in that situation? Here’s Paul’s answer: support one another and humbly bear up under it, trusting that the Lord will take vengeance.

He gives us two ways to do that:

First, be a loving community. Care enough about people that you know when they’re rejoicing and when they’re weeping and why, so that you can join them in it. Live humbly–find a way to legitimately believe that others are better than you. Doing this will make the church a refuge where you and others can flee when the world is causing you to suffer.

Second, don’t enact vengeance, but love your enemy. Verse 19 is clear: “never avenge yourselves.” Why can’t we avenge ourselves? It’s not because Christians are supposed to be wimpy and polite. It’s because we entrust ourselves to the just judge of the universe. We suffer now because we know that justice will be served some day.

Instead of enacting vengeance, Paul tells us what to do: tangible acts of loving service toward the same people who persecute us. Why? Because it’s impossible for us to lose! Either they respond to that love with faith in Christ and you gain a brother, or they reject that love and God’s judgment piles up against them, so that some day you will be avenged.

Either way, the appropriate response is love–specifically, tangible acts of loving service.

So let’s recap: when persecution comes our way, we respond by humbly bearing up under it and trusting that God will take vengeance for us. This looks like laboring to be a loving community, and refusing to take vengeance, choosing instead to love our enemies in tangible ways.

God calls us to hard things sometimes–but always good things.

Before we parachute into chapter 12 of Romans, I thought it might be helpful for context to ask ourselves what the “therefore” is there for in verse 1, especially since Paul is appealing to the reader, on the grounds of mercy, to be living sacrifices. Some topics previously covered so far by Paul in Romans, were first the bad news of humanity's universal indictment of their hopeless state (1:18-3:20). But, from there, the good news of God the Son saving us by absorbing God’s wrath due our sin, and in our place (3:21-31). Paul then encourages those of us who have been baptized into Christ and freed by the Spirit to live unto God as His instruments for good (Chap 6). We are free! Free to live according to the Spirit who now dwells in us (Chap. 8)! Paul then comforts us by telling us that God sent His own Son for us all, so how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things (8:32)? Then Paul emboldens us by stating that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (8:38-39)! And finally, Paul humbles us by the doctrine of election that is not based on any intrinsic quality in us or anything yet to be done by us, but only due to God’s eternal foreloving purposes did He choose us (Chap. 9-11). “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy says our Lord'' (9:15). 

Paul, in chapter 12, then appeals to his readers, by those mercies, the mercy of salvation, the mercy of the indwelling Spirit, the mercy of our victorious Jesus, the mercy of our electing Father, to now give something back, to present to Him our life as a sacrifice, set apart, to Him, for Him, and Him alone.

Some misconceptions about God that these verses debunk are… 

1. God is some sort of health and wealth, transactional vending machine where we just pray a prayer or walk an aisle or behave ourselves in order to get some comfort and ease in life. 

Paul tells us, by the mercies of God already done, finished and complete to then offer our life to God. This is the reasonable response to God for what He has done for us. In view of God’s mercy, we are to sacrifice instead of seek.  

2. God is some on-call, emotional masseuse that exists only to make us happy and love our self more. 

Paul says, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. This is an ongoing way of life, not a one-time event but continuous. A life sacrificed to God is in fact, spiritual worship, holy and acceptable to God. 

3. God is like some spiritual Santa that offers a stocking full of gifts and lets us just pick and choose whatever is most exciting or cool. 

Paul appeals to his readers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, words from God Himself to consider the mercy of God and to sacrificially give, not get, a life marked by giving all of who we are and have back to God. 

God knows the most worthy object of worship is Himself and we find our greatest purpose, value, and joy when we agree with Him. When we get that backwards and seek our own, we become lost within ourselves. Let us, therefore, not be conformed to this world but live transformed lives in this way. Let us not give in to the pressures of the world and make life about ourselves. Let us continue to value, esteem, and glorify God by giving and sacrificing our life in service to Him and in love for others. Through a new life, free to give to God, and a new mind, renewed by His Word, we will know the will of God; we will know and desire what pleases God and, what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Jude immediately separates the church into two groups by only addressing those “called beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” (v. 1). “Kept” refers to those in the church, the church being the betrothed bride of Christ. Unlike other letters in the New Testament where the author addresses all his listeners or simply begins his message, Jude only addresses those “called & kept by God” which in turn excludes those who are among the church but not truly saved. It is clear in verses 2 & 3 that although Jude wishes to converse with his listeners about the blessings of their shared unity in Christ, He must in fact point out some dangerous teachings and habits that have entered the church.

Jude calls the church to contend for the faith, to struggle and fight for what God has laid out as truth in His Word (v. 3). And why does he do this? Because other beliefs have made their way into the church and are spreading lies (v. 4). Jude points two in particular: first the use of God’s grace of salvation to the Christian as a loophole to continue to engage in sensuality, and secondly the denial of Jesus Christ.

The definition of the world for sensuality used here is the “lack of self-constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable, self-abandonment” though this word is definitely in reference to how we define sensuality today, it also includes all acts of sin. Paul writes in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Paul makes the argument that if we are no longer enslaved to sin, why would we go back to it? Jude ups the intensity by arguing why would we pervert the grace of God by using it as a means to continue sinning?

Jude warns that such teachings have no place in the church and those who have brought these teachings into the church “long ago were designated for this condemnation” (v. 4). Jude is not playing around and desperately wants us to get the point he’s making: “such teachings pervert and damage the church, and they will pervert and damage YOU.” 2 Peter 2:2 warns: “And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”

So what do we do with this?

First, know the Bible, and know the Gospel. The reason why the lies Jude is talking about are so potent is that his readers (us included) do not fully know the Word of God. Ephesians 4:3-6 declares: “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Secondly, practice discipline. Assess how you practice self control and how you combat temptation. What is your standard of righteousness and do you give room for sin in your life? Remember sin is outward rebellion against God and is a mockery of the grace God has shown you. Grace is not a free hall pass to allow you to continue rebelling against God. By practicing discipline and fully understanding the Word of God, false teaching and temptation stick out like a sore thumb. They are glaring and easy to spot.

Remember, there is a reason why Jude is not directing this to the leaders of the church, but to the church as a whole. We all need to do this because no one can force us to practice discipline, it has to start with us!

For further thought/application of this passage:

1. Read a Proverb or chapter of the bible a day
2. Assess where temptation often shows up for you and stay away from those activities.
3. Connect with your small group or a close friend about ways to pray for one another's self control and faith.

Last week, we learned that Jude has written to this congregation to urge them to “contend for the faith” in the midst of false teachers surfacing within the church. This week we get a full-on account of what these people were all about. What’s interesting is that the only insight we’re given into what they’re actually teaching, is a brief statement in verse four, indicating that they have taken things that are actually true of the faith and have twisted them into something entirely different. In place of a lecture on what a teacher should or should not say, we get a twelve-verse chunk of God’s Word devoted to the behavior of these false teachers.

Jude masterfully employs the use of classic Old Testament what-not-to-do’s to aid in painting a picture of these offenders of the faith, as well as a couple of texts that might not be familiar to us, but that would have been well-known to the people of the time. We are told that like the rebellious Israelites in Numbers 14, the debased angels in Genesis 6, and the depraved people of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, these false teachers “defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.” (v. 8) We’re also given the examples of Cain (Genesis 4), Balaam (Genesis 22), and Korah (Numbers 16) to correlate to how these people have forsaken their blessed position, given them by God, for the sake of their own temporal gain and satisfaction.

So what are we to do with a text like this? There’s not a single command in here! It’s almost as if Jude is just kind of going off about these people, right? Wrong! Here’s the big idea: Get in, and stay in God’s Word.

By now you know Jude is a one-chapter book right before Revelation. It is the 5th smallest book in the Bible, yet one of the most potent in exposing doctrinal errors and false teachers. Jude warns against following those who have surreptitiously gained entry into the church and are perverting the one true faith with false teaching.  

In verses 17-23 Jude urges Christians to contend for the faith and he commands A Call to Persevere. The letter warns against allowing false teachers to continue to have influence.  Often people subscribe to false doctrine in order to accommodate their sin, but Jude cautions us in verses 18-19 “They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” There are several examples of our generation that illustrate this, and we do not have to look far to see people living worldly lives slathered with a bit of religion and calling themselves Christians. That is like calling a caterpillar a butterfly. It shares the same DNA, but the butterfly goes through a process in a cocoon and transforms into a butterfly.  

Today, we see that many churches have become entertainment and activity centers that pamper to the lukewarm and even the un-believing caterpillar. They are great at producing behavior modification, but according to 2 Corinthians 5:17 the goal should be soul transformation. Christians are transformed in community where vulnerabilities are laid out and treated with the correct balance of truth and love. Jude calls the church to defend the truth aggressively against this infiltration. 

There is a battle waging, and the little g god of this age (money, sensuality, fame, pride) is blinding the minds of unbelievers and condemning them to hell (1 John 2:15-17). We must stand firm on the absolute truth of the word of God and the Good News of the Bible that leads us to a place where there is no confusion, suffering, or death.  We must put our faith and trust in the God of light who desires for people all over this world to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-7).  

We are living in very strange times, and it does not take more than ten seconds on the internet to see some bizarre, twisted story in the news.  In the midst of all of the chaos we need to put on the glasses of God’s word to focus our attention on what is right and what is true.  We need not be allegiant to a political party, a country, or a denomination to the point where we lose sight of what matters most, which is an allegiance to our Heavenly Father, and a focus on our forever home which is Heaven.  

Jude 22-23 tells us the church is called to show mercy to everyone, even its opponents. I will be the first one to say this is easier said than done, but my earnest prayer is that we will fear God more than man, love Scripture more than tradition, and be bright lights in a dark age. Right now, we have a great opportunity to glorify God by demonstrating grace, mercy, and love.

In the midst of this battle, there are some key questions we can ask ourselves to assess the condition of our head, heart, and habits:   

• Am I thinking clearly? (Do I have an accurate view of myself, not too high and not too low)   

• What or who am I influenced by? (Am I inspired by the Word of God and other Christians, or manipulated by the world, and news, social media, non-Christians?)

• Am I bearing fruit consistent with the proclamation of my faith? (Does my walk match my talk?) (Galatians 5:22-23)

• Am I authentically transformed? (Am I a caterpillar, a cocoon, or a butterfly? Not just cosmetic or behavior changes externally, but transformed internally) (1 John 3:9)   

 I encourage you to be honest with your assessment and make changes where you are convicted. We are in this together church.

Hello Church! I'm Tom Caldie, and today in Jude, we're going to be looking at his doxology. 

If you don't know what a doxology is, it's an expression that ascribes praise specifically to God. These two amazing verses ascribe a tremendous amount of truth and praise to God. 

Have you ever noticed that we tend to overlook doxologies? We typically look for a verse to give us the answer we need for our problems right now. We don't stop to praise God and be in awe of Him for who he is!

But let's look closely at what Jude says, remembering that he just called us to persevere. In light of that, Jude is not saying that God is only able to keep us from stumbling as if it were dependent on us somehow. Instead, the word "able" is a present participle that emphasizes that we are presently being kept from stumbling. Jesus is currently keeping you from falling away. As we persevere in faith through all circumstances, unto the end, we know it is Him that keeps us. It's nothing we do or can do. Jude is ascribing this solely to God. A great example of this is Jesus's own words.

John 17:12 when he's praying to the Father... "when I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost..."

So, just as Jesus actively kept his disciples that the Father had given him, He is now actively keeping us! Praise God it's not up to us! Now what's interesting is what Jude says he's keeping us for. He's keeping us so that He can present us blameless in the presence of His glory.  Jesus is going to present us guiltless and faultless of all the sin we have committed as if we never did it.

You might say, "I already knew that!" but, did you know that Jude says Jesus is going to do this "with great joy"? This verb means exultation or "wild joy." This "wild joy" reminds me of 1 Chronicles 15 when David brings the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. He was "dancing and celebrating," it says. And in Hebrew, it means he was "springing about wildly." What an image that is. Our King will be springing about wildly as he brings us into His glory, completing His joy in redemption.

Isn't that incredible? Jude leaves us no doubt that God will do this as he ascribes to Him "glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." So believe it, church! Jesus is going to keep you and bring you into His glory with a wild, joyful celebration!

What a time that will be. I can't wait, it's going to be glorious.

In this passage, Paul is concluding his letter. He ends it by thanking the Philippian church for partnering with him financially. It seems that they were one of the only churches that cared enough to take up an offering for him, and Paul wants to recognize their gift and give a little theology to undergird their generosity. And in Verse 19, we learn that we have a glorious God who gives from his riches to everyone that’s in Christ.

Christian, God is going to give you everything you need according to his riches in glory. The glory of God is rich. This is a God with an entourage of creatures that have multiple faces, who rides a chariot with wheels that go in every direction at once, who shows up and storms start to kick up, and leaves behind a trail of gemstones and light when he leaves. This God lacks nothing–and he’s going to supply your needs according to that glory and those riches. He’s got resources, and he’s not stingy.

But also notice, this supply comes to you in Christ. Make no mistake: this is for Christians. If you’re not a Christian, you have no promise that God will supply your needs. He may do it; he is very gracious. But it’s not a promise.

Now, what does this supply look like? It’s everything you need. We learn from other passages that it’s not always everything you want. God determines your need because he knows you best. Sometimes you need the lesson of having to trust him–that’s Paul’s secret in verse 12. Sometimes, what you really need is to be brought to the point where you can say with Paul, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” That’s fruit, like in verse 17. 

But sometimes, you really need the stuff, and God gives that too. In fact, often he gives you more than you need! Remember, he has resources. At the core of this passage, we see Paul’s conviction that our Father is a good Father who gives good gifts to us. That’s Paul’s bedrock trust, his foundational perspective, and he got it from Jesus–just look at a passage like Matthew 7:7-11.

So, Doxa, we have a glorious God who gives from his riches to everyone that’s in Christ. May we learn to say, with Paul, that God will supply every need of ours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

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Last week we got an excellent preface to our text today. We were reminded of all the doctrine Paul poured out in chapters 1-11, and how we are to respond to those teachings by living holy, sacrificial lives in service to God according to His will, which is found in His word. 

Right out the gate in verse 3, Paul pulls the Apostle trump card basically saying, “by the power vested in me by God to speak with divine authority, don’t think too highly of yourself, but rather rightly evaluate the portion of giftings God has bestowed upon every individual.” The basic principle we find here is that although in Jesus “the fullness of deity dwells” (Col. 1:19) and that “in [him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3), for us, that fullness is dispersed across the entirety of the church, with no one person being able to tackle every single office or every realm of service. For this reason, we are commanded to carefully and humbly esteem the portion the Lord has blessed each of us with. 

Something worthy of mention: Properly employing each of our individual God-given skill-sets is not a free pass to ignore the ways in which Scripture commands every Christian to do things on, or associated to the items on, this list (vv. 6-8). Just because God didn’t bless you with a philanthropic heart, does not mean you should skip tithing. Don’t skip tithing! Likewise, just because you don’t have a knack for teaching, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t educate your lost loved ones on what we as Christians know to be true. Preach. The. Gospel.

However, to try to do more than we are called to do is nothing short of sinful pride. If I’m called to be an encourager and a giver and not a pastor, then my telling a pastor how he should preach his sermons, is completely outside of my wheelhouse! God gave him that role, and God knows what He’s doing. On the flip side, if we neglect the gifts we are given, we are failing to see the grace God has extended to each of us and that awesome responsibility that comes along with it. In this we spit in the face of our Maker. 

With all that being said, my challenge for you is this: How could you be utilizing the talents and resources that God has given you for His glory, in this season? I’d encourage you to meditate on this passage and to take it up with the Lord in some serious heartfelt prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the shadowy corridors of your heart where you might be stubbornly impeding the work the Father has set aside just for you to do. We all have a job. I’m not meant to do yours the way the Lord designed you to do it, and you’re not meant to do mine. Our perfect example, Jesus fulfilled his duty unto death, so that we might be reconciled to the Father and gain this very opportunity for obedience that we’re discussing today. Might we serve with eager hearts, with cheerful attitudes, and with compassion for our neighbor. 

Philippians is such an inspirational and encouraging book. As we’ve learned, the letter of Paul to the Philippians was written from prison and verses 12-16 of chapter 3 describe Paul’s progress in the Gospel: Through Christ, Not the Law. Paul emphasizes the need for progress in Christian living, presenting himself as one who continually reaches ahead to see God’s kingdom expanded. 

Verses 12-21 inspire us to Strain Toward the Goal. What goal you ask? Great question, Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul is telling us not to dwell on the dark elements of our past, or even be defined by a victory of our past. We must forget what lies behind in order to press on toward what God has in store for us, which is eternal citizenship in heaven, as Philippians 3:20 states, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”. He is telling us not to spend our life looking back, or live an aimless existence, instead live life with purpose and set your sights on eternal citizenship in heaven.

There is an illustration that came to mind as I read this text. Law enforcement officers are required to take several courses in order to qualify for patrol, and during this training the instructors teach a concept called "high visual horizon". The idea is that when officers are in pursuit they look up, look ahead, and maintain a high visual horizon in order to identify hazards and make proper, timely decisions. Their taught not to look at the hood, or front bumper, rather keep your eyes up and look far ahead. If officers fail to maintain a high visual horizon during a pursit they will inevitably crash, and consequently fail to safely reach their destination. 

Just as driving during a pursuit requires maintaining a high visual horizon in order to safely reach the destination, Paul tells us in Philippians 3:17 “…join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”  He’s telling us to use him as an example of what it looks like to strain forward, to move toward a destination with purpose. While Paul is not yet perfected, he is confident enough in his Christian walk to ask the Philippians to join in imitating him and other mature Christians.  Paul’s intent is not for the Philippians to focus on him per se but rather for them to join in humble, radical dependence on Christ. 

He’s telling us to forget what lies behind, let go of our past, and look ahead toward the destination, not just a destination, but the destination. Straining forward without letting go of the past is like driving while staring into the rear-view mirror. It is aimless and only a matter of time before you crash and fail to reach your destination. Paul tells us to look up, look ahead, and set your sights on the best destination known to man, eternal citizenship in heaven. We get there by putting our faith and trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you go about your day I encourage you to maintain a high visual horizon. Keep your eyes on the prize, which is the fullness of blessings and rewards in the age to come, most especially being in perfect fellowship with Christ forever.

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In a time when people from all backgrounds and walks of life are looking for ways to respond to the current events isn’t it awesome that we can be joyful in knowing we have God’s word for direction? For this devotional we will look at how we can demonstrate the Marks of the True Christian according to today's passage. Romans 12:9-13 says…

“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

From Pastor Scott’s sermon a few weeks ago titled, “Be Christian,” we learned three important actions we can take in response to the current events and to advance the gospel. Let's take a look at those actions- you'll see I added a fourth one based off of the instruction in verse 12.

• Pray – Verse 12 tell us to, “…be constant in prayer.” Are you trying to fight your battles alone or are you taking it to the Lord? The Bible says pray. We have access to the throne of grace, so we need to wear some holes in the ground. Pray, and you will develop a compassion for people. 

• Love –  Verse 9 tells us, “Let love be genuine…” Love starts with repentance.  Repentance of real actual sin, not made up stuff. Repent for acts of commission and omission, and then love with sincerity.

• Preach – Verse 11 says, “… be fervent in Spirit, serve the Lord.” Share the gospel.  Talk about sin, righteousness, and judgement. There is a true, just judge that we will stand before. Remember, we are finite people in a finite place, but we must not lose heart. God will remain true to His character and satisfy justice. It has already been satisfied at the cross, and we need to share this Good News.

• Rejoice – Again in verse 12 we read, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation…” As Christians we should be joyful and hopeful. If you are down or depressed, implement the previous three action steps and see how that works out for you. Perhaps try doing something for someone else instead of being preoccupied with your own troubles. We should be able to enter into the joy of others, just as we are to enter into their suffering.  

Try doing something for someone else today, enter into someone else’s life, contribute to the needs of the saints according to Romans 12.

Pray > Love > Preach > Rejoice > Repeat