Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I wanted to take a look at the book of Jude because honestly, it’s one of those small hidden books in the Bible that generally doesn’t get much attention.  Also, I think it gives us a profound message and warning related to our belief and actions.  So strap in, Jude doesn’t pull punches, it’s going to be a good Monday morning gut check for us all.

Jude 5-8 – “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality andpursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.  Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.”

Without wanting to go down a theological tangent, or study on the Holiness of God, let me say this – Jesus’s death on the cross was sufficient to save everyone who would believe on Him, yet we know that not everyone is saved.  Christ’s holiness is so great that He absorbed the wrath of God for our sins, and rose again from the grave triumphant.  We know that God will unleash his wrath against those who do not believe on Him, because His holiness cannot be in the presence of sin.  We know that there are many who never profess to believe on Christ, and there are others who profess Christ, but their “belief” is false.

So what does unbelief or false belief look like?  It may look different from what you think.  Unbelief here in Jude is not characterized mentally, but in actions, such as indulging in sexual immorality, pursuing one’s dreams, rejecting authority.  Now most of us could easily see that indulging (not putting to death) sexual sin, would be a characteristic of someone not saved, but what about relying on one’s dreams and rejecting authority?  This kind of creates a problem with those of us in America right?  We were brought up to be “individuals” after all, to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and make our dreams come true.  Jude is saying that line of thought is insane.  Further, Jude is saying that those who want to be individuals, and reject God’s authority, and the authority God has placed over them via the body of believers that make up the Church, are not merely “sinning”, but giving evidence of unbelief in the gospel of Christ.  Jude is giving us a warning, that those who pursue their own will unrepentantly, instead of trusting God to lead them, even if they profess to believe, even if they are sitting in church on sunday, even if they are involved in ministry, don’t believe.  Essentially Jude is saying, there is only one throne in your heart, if you sit on it, you will be destroyed, if by grace God sits on it, you have an eternal treasure and hope in Christ.

My hope for us all is that we would be awakened to see there are not two thrones in your heart, but only one.  You cannot have your life your way and God’s, you must choose who will rule your life.  Having been thus awakened, be encouraged to know two things:  first, that Christ’s mercies are new each morning, whever you have been, Christ is ready to receive you if you turn to Him to have Him lead you, second, wherever Christ would lead you, He does so for your good, with the great love with which He loves us, which was shown gloriously on the cross.  Hope this reaches each of you well, know that you’re prayed for.

Grace and Peace,

Adam