Milo

Jude

DECEMBER 20

Reading 354

FALSE TEACHERS Jude

“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” (Jude 4).Hold fast to Jesus and godliness, and God will surely hold fast to you.

Biography: Jude

Jude’s identification of himself as the brother of James, and a very early tradition, has led to his likely identification as a half-brother of Jesus Himself (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). James’ humility in introducing himself only as a servant of Jesus may reflect his early rejection of his half-Brother as the Messiah (cf. John 7:5; Acts 1:14). While the letter is undated, if the author is Jude the brother of Jesus, its date probably falls somewhere betweenA.D 60 and 80, as it reflects a concern for false teachers that is characteristic of the later letters of Paul and Peter, as well as John.

Overview

Jude wrote to warn of false teachers in the church (vv. 1–4), who will surely be judged by God (vv. 5–16). But believers who hold fast to Jesus and godliness (vv. 17–23) will be upheld by God, who merits our praise (vv. 24–25).

Understanding the Text

“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” Jude 1–2. References in the Gospels to Jesus’ half-brothers suggests that some hostility existed on their part. They weren’t at all happy at the notoriety Jesus gained as He began His preaching and healing ministry in Galilee. No doubt, like siblings everywhere, they thought to themselves, “What’s so special about HIM?” Yet after Jesus’ resurrection we find the brothers, with Mary and the disciples, praying in an upper room (Acts 1:14). The Baby born to their mother, the older Brother who roughhoused with them and took care of them as they grew up, was at last known by them as the Son of God. It’s one thing to know Jesus in the flesh. Today millions celebrate Christmas with no more insight into who Jesus really is than His brothers had. But when anyone comes to know Him as Son of God and Saviour, they like Jude find in Him mercy, peace, and grace in abundance. “Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” Jude 3. Some things in life are relative. I prefer green, someone else prefers blue. I like popcorn. Someone else likes potato chips. With preferences, it doesn’t make any real difference. Truth is different. It is absolute, in the sense that truth remains fixed and sure despite human preferences. And so Jude reminds us that when someone says, “I prefer to think of Jesus as just a good man,” we can’t respond, “OK. But I prefer to think of Him as God.” Contending for truth doesn’t mean being hostile, or shouting at those who do not believe. But it does mean making sure people realize that truth isn’t a matter of preference. Someone may well say, “I prefer to think of Jesus as just a good man.” But when they do, that’s our cue to answer, “I’m really sorry about that. You see, the Bible says Jesus is God the Son, and your whole future depends on whether or know you accept the truth of of that claim.” “Have secretly slipped in among you” Jude 4. Yesterday our Sarah came home from Sunday School, wearing a large paper medallion around her neck, that said in letters two inches high, “I am forgiven.” False teachers don’t wear medallions around their necks, announcing, “I am a false teacher.” Instead they slip in secretly. They pretend to be believers, and only after being accepted do they begin to smuggle their heresies into the congregation. Jude, as did Peter and Paul, reminds us that try as they will, false teachers can’t hide two identifying marks. They deny Jesus Christ, making Him out to be less than God. And they twist that grace which frees us from the grip of sin into a license for sin. Christmas is our great reaffirmation that Jesus Christ is God, come in the flesh. In remembrance of God’s great gift, let’s rededicate ourselves to live holy and godly lives. “I want to remind you” Jude 5–7. Jude pointed to three groups whose experience reminds us that God does punish sin. The three groups are linked first in that each rebelled against God, and second, in that each when rebelling turned to immorality. The most unusual group here is that of “angels who did not keep their position of authority.” Comparing Jude’s reference to first and second-centuryB.C Jewish works, he appears to refer to the “sons of God” of Genesis 6:4 who assumed bodies to mingle with the “daughters of men.” This radical violation of the creation order led to the guilty angels being “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment.” Jude’s point is clear. God will most certainly punish the false teachers who share the spiritual and moral depravity exhibited by the Exodus generation, by fallen angels, and by the homosexual communities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s not hesitate to affirm this truth too. Sin merits punishment. And punishment will surely be meted out. “These dreamers” Jude 8–10. I read science fiction now and then. Flights of the imagination that create new worlds and new cultures intrigue me. But I never mistake the imaginary world of some author for reality. That’s the problem with false religious teaching. It abandons the reality unveiled in Scripture, and substitutes man’s imagination. “These dreamers” act like “unreasoning animals” in that they ignore spiritual truths and imagine a world in which they can give full reign to their natural baser passions. This is the utmost arrogance, and Jude alluded to a popular story of his day in which the archangel Michael is portrayed struggling with Satan for the body of Moses after his death. Even in our fiction, Jude seemed to say, the greatest of the angels hestitates to rebuke a being of higher rank! How arrogant for mere men to speak of spiritual realities that are far beyond their capacity to grasp. Watch out for those who ridicule spiritual things. What they say tells us nothing about God or angels. But it surely tells us a lot about them! “Woe to them” Jude 11–13. Jude emotionally piled up images that characterize the false teacher. The way of Cain is to strike out at those who do good. The error of Balaam is to trade spiritual services for worldly wealth. And the destruction of Korah is direct, divine intervention to punish those who rebel against him. The next series of images are powerful and poetic. Each pictures a phenomenon which promises much, but delivers nothing but harm. To be a shepherd is to promise to care for the sheep, but these shepherds take care of themselves! A dark cloud promises rain, but these false teachers bring only shrieking winds and no water. What a contrast to the thousands upon thousands of faithful pastors who give rather than receive, and who enrich our lives. “Enoch, the seventh from Adam” Jude 14–20. Jude quoted here from a second centuryB.C religious book called “The Book of Enoch.” Jude’s quotation did not mean he saw this book as Scripture, but does indicate he believed the sentiment expressed to be true. The Lord is coming, and with thousands upon thousands of holy angels (cf. 2 Thes. 1:5–10). When He returns, He will judge. And then the false teachers will receive the punishment they deserve. Until then, we should expect to find scoffers in the church, who will try to divide us (vv. 17–19). So let’s be doubly careful not to fall into their grasp. “But you, dear friends” Jude 20–21. The angels sang it on that first Christmas. “On earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). The strident calls of scoffers have no appeal to us, who know Jesus as God-sent Babe and risen Saviour. We experience peace, as we concentrate on building ourselves up in “your most holy faith,” on prayer, and on keeping ourselves in love as we wait for Jesus to return. If you and I focus on these things we will experience a peace that certainty no one outside of Christ can possibly know. “Be merciful to those who doubt” Jude 22. Don’t classify those who doubt with false teachers. There’s a vast difference between honest uncertainty and arrogant unbelief. Jude reminds us to “be merciful” to doubters. Show that you care, try to encourage and help, never condemn. By love and mercy you can take a doubter by the hand and lead him or her to Christ. “Mixed with fear” Jude 23. Love for the lost must always be tempered by a hatred of sin. Jude warns us against identifying so closely with a sinner that we find ourselves drawn into his or her sin. The fear we feel in reaching out to others is not fear of them, but awareness of our own vulnerability.

DEVOTIONAL

Born a King(Jude 17–25)

There’s a strange correlation between the Christmas season and Jude’s letter. Christmas brings us vivid images of Baby Jesus, lying in a manger, a helpless Infant, watched over by Mary and Joseph and farm animals. Jude’s powerful warnings against false teachers contain vivid images too: images that make us sense our own vulnerability. But Jude ended his letter with a paean of praise to One he at last came to recognized as God our Saviour, resplendent in “glory, majesty, power and authority.” Jesus was born a helpless Babe. But He was born a King, and as King He now rules over all. It’s because of who Jesus is, “before all ages, now and forevermore,” that despite our weaknesses we have complete confidence that whatever schisms tear at the church, we will remain safe and secure. We are secure, not because of the strength of faith in Him, but because of the strength of Him in whom we believe. As Jude says, He “is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault, and with great joy.”

Personal Application

Trust in Jesus, not in your faith in Jesus.

Quotable

“Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you.” —Francois de la Mothe Pennelon

Jude

INTRODUCTION

Jude is thought to be the brother of James and half-brother of Jesus. His short book is an urgent warning against those who were already introducing false teaching into the churches. God will punish those who turn from Christ and godliness, but preserve those who keep themselves in His love.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Greeting	Jude 1–4
II.	The End of False Teachers	Jude 5–16
III.	Encouragement and Doxology	Jude 17–25

2–3 John

DECEMBER 19

Reading 353

WALKING IN LOVE 2–3 John

“As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love” (2 John 6).There can never be too many reminders to love and keep Jesus’ commandments.

Background

John’s later years.

John outlived the other disciples of Jesus. If he died in the late 90s, as most believe, he outlived Peter and Paul by some three decades! During these decades more and more hostility developed toward Christians. There was both official persecution, and many nonviolent expressions of discrimination. In addition, the false teachers Peter, Jude, and Paul had predicted did emerge, and corrupted the faith of many. What then seemed most important for John to communicate as he neared the end of his life? These two brief letters help us understand, for they pick up themes we are familiar with from 1 John. John emphasized the full deity of Jesus, and love as the mark of an obedient community. How important these twin pillars of faith are today. We worship Jesus the Son of God. And we love one another as brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Overview

John greeted an “elect lady” (2 John 1–3), to encourage continuing love (vv. 4–6) and warn against those who deny Christ’s deity (vv. 7–13). John wrote Gaius (3 John 1–4), to encourage him to keep on ministering (vv. 5–8), to warn against Diotrephes (vv. 9–10) and to commend Demetrius (vv. 11–14).

Understanding the Text

“The elder . . . the elect lady” 2 John 1.

John’s reference may have been to his own age, but more likely to his position in the church. He was one whose maturity and wisdom had made him worthy of trust. The name “elect” was used in the first century in the way we use “born again Christian”—to identify individuals as believers who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The term need not be understood to imply predestination. But it does affirm that we who have chosen to believe in Christ have been chosen by God. We want Him as a our God. But God wanted us first, as His children. “Walking in the truth” 2 John 4. Here as in 1 John, “truth” is linked to reality. A person who walks “in the truth” lives in harmony with spiritual and moral reality, as these are known to us in Christ. You and I walk “in the truth” if our lives are marked by holiness and by love. “His command is that you walk in love” 2 John 2:5–6. John emphasized a particular reality all Christians are to experience. We show our obedience to Jesus, and our harmony with Him, by loving fellow believers. I suspect that John may have thought the people he ministered to may have tired of his message. He did say the command wasn’t new. And that the elect lady and her family had had it from the beginning. But John was not apologizing. He is simply saying, love is so important, we must be reminded of it all the time. John was like the old preacher who explained his philosophy of ministry. First, I tell ’em what I’m going to tell ’em. Then I tell ’em. And then I tell ’em what I told ’em.” That’s the way we need to be in reminding one another to keep on loving, for Jesus’ sake. “Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” 2 John 7–11. There are many doctrines that are important to Christians. But none are as pivotal as this one. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, existed with God and as God from the beginning. And God the Son was born into our race, lived here on earth as true man, and after dying for us was raised from the dead. It was God the Son who died for us on the cross: God, come in the flesh to redeem us. People can be Christian and have doubts about verbal, plenary inspiration. People can be Christian and be absolutely wrong in eschatology. But no one who denies that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh can be Christian in any biblical sense. We’re not to run around ruling this or that person out of the faith because he or she differs from us on points of doctrine. But we are to have nothing to do with any who call themselves “Christian” but deny the full deity of Jesus Christ (v. 11). “Your faithfulness to the truth” 3 John 1–4. John, in his 90s now, had developed a clear view of what is truly important in life. The things most of us focus our attention on-scrambling to advance in our careers, working out misunderstandings in our relationships, important things all have receded in significance to the last apostle. What thrilled him now? He wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (v. 4). We need to develop the same attitude when it comes to our children. I’m glad for the mom or dad who tells with obvious pride about the great job Joey’s got, or the house with its own swimming pool that Suzie’s husband bought in Houston at $40,000 less than it cost to build. But we need to remember that the one truly important thing in life is that our children walk in the truth, and walk with God. “We ought therefore to show hospitality” 3 John 5–8. These few verses reflect the itinerant ministry of many in the first century who traveled from city to city, staying with one Christian group and then another, to share a special teaching or spiritual gift. We saw in 2 Timothy, and in 2 Peter, how many of the itinerant teachers were false: they were insincere, seeking to gain a following only that they might win money from them. Here we see the other side. We see hundreds of believers who went on the road “for the sake of the Name,” and who received “no help” from any source. These men gave up any personal ambitions to travel and nurture Christians throughout the empire, usually receiving nothing but food and lodging from those with whom they briefly stayed. We still have folks like this today. Missionaries, preachers, school teachers, social workers, who for the sake of Jesus give up the prospect of lucrative careers to work in an area where they can serve others, and better share Christ. Such folk should be honored by their fellow Christians, and encouraged in practical ways.

DEVOTIONAL

Epitaphs(3 John 9–13)

Ever read one of those books of humorous epitaphs? Like the one in England, that tells all: Mary Picket, Lies silent and fast, Her husband’s ears Have peace at last. Or the one from our own old West, that simply says: Flicker was quicker. Actually, the thing about even humorous epitaphs is that most do say something about the character of the person they memorialize. Something that stands out; something that folks remember. In a sense John suggested a theme for the epitaphs of two leading individuals in the first-century Christian community of Asia. One, Diotrephes, was marked off as loving first place. He gossiped, trying to make others look small so he’d look bigger by comparison. And he tried to dominate his little group by cutting off any contact they may have with others. Someone might have written something like this on his tombstone: Diotrephes, who cut others down, Things are better Now he’s not around. On the other hand, we have Demetrius who was “well spoken of” by everyone, apparently because he was dedicated to doing good. I suspect a very different epitaph would have marked his memory. You might try your hand at creating an epitaph for Demetrius. But it’s more important to create an epitaph for yourself. But by how you live, not with words.

Personal Application

How do you want others to remember you?

Quotable

In heart a Lydia, and in tongue a Hanna, In zeal a Ruth, in wedlock a Susanna, Prudently simple, providentially wary, To the world a Martha, and to heaven a Mary. -Epitaph of Dame Dorthy Selby

2 John-3 John

INTRODUCTION

The Apostle John wrote these two brief letters. The first is addressed to an unknown Christian woman and her family; the second to a Christian leader and a friend named Gaius. These warm, personal letters emphasize themes found in 1 John: the doctrine of Christ’s deity, and the call to love and do good works.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Greeting	2 John 1–3
II.	Warning	2 John 4–11
III.	Conclusion	2 John 12–13
IV.	Greeting	3 John 1–4
V.	Encouragement	3 John 5–8
VI.	Warning	3 John 9–10
VII.	Commendation	3 John 11–12
VIII.	Conclusion	3 John 13–15

DECEMBER 18

Reading 352

GOD’S GREAT LOVE 1 John 4–5

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).We are to rest in the assurance of God’s great love.

Overview

False prophets deny Jesus Christ is God and man (4:1–6). Love is the external mark of spiritual birth (vv. 7–21). The believer loves and obeys God, overcoming the world (5:1–5). The person who trusts Jesus has God’s life within him (vv. 6–12). God wants us to know we have eternal life; to pray with confidence (vv. 13–15), to pray for those who sin (vv. 16–17), and to abandon sin (vv. 18–21).

Understanding the Text

“Test the spirits” 1 John 4:1–3.

In the first century, itinerant teachers traveled the Roman world. Second Peter 2 tells us that many false teachers were among them; men who saw teaching the new religion as a way to make money. This fit a well-established pattern, as teachers of philosophy and other religions also traveled, gathered little groups of followers, and charged whatever the market would bear. All these traveling teachers were trained in rhetoric, and were skilled hucksters. So John warned the gullible. Don’t be taken in by smooth-talking teachers. The critical test then and now is, does this teacher present Jesus Christ as God in the flesh? Any who honor Jesus with less than full Deity express the “spirit of the antichrist” rather than the Spirit of God. “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” 1 John 4:4–6. Every now and then I run across someone who is anxious about possible demon possession. This verse can be a great comfort. The spirit that animates the antichrist, Satan himself, operates freely in this world. But the Christian is not part of the world! We have within us One who is far greater than Satan—the Holy Spirit of God. Let the Spirit fill your life, and you are in no danger of demon possession. Satan can manipulate the circumstances around you. But he cannot touch your heart or spirit as long as God’s Spirit lives within you. “Whoever knows God listens to us” 1 John 4:4–6. Don’t be defensive if others think your faith in Christ is foolish or peculiar. We Christians speak in the language of our land, yet what we say can’t be “heard” by those who do not know God. The viewpoint of the world has always been blind to Scripture’s God. Instead of being defensive, keep on loving and doing good. Every day God calls more men and women out of the world to Him. Some you speak to will suddenly begin to hear—and you’ll know that God is at work in their lives. “Whoever does not love does not know God” 1 John 4:7–12. Non-Christians frequently ask believers to “prove” God. You can’t see Him, or touch Him, they may say. How can you know God exists? On the one hand, you and I might argue from history. Jesus lived. He died. And His resurrection is the most thoroughly attested event in the ancient world! Those events demonstrate God’s existence, and His active love. But there’s an even better way to answer. God revealed Himself in the love Jesus showed in giving Himself for us. And God creates a Jesus kind of love in the hearts of those who know Him. Others can know that God is real by seeing Jesus’ kind of love expressed by Christians. It’s sometimes possible to reason another person into faith. But it is usually easier to love them to a personal trust in Jesus. “God lives in him and he in God” 1 John 4:13–16. The theme of “assurance” is strong in these last two chapters of 1 John. I’ve known folks who actually get angry if a Christian suggests he or she “knows” he is going to heaven. To some that’s presumption. To others it’s an insult—a sign that the believer thinks he or she is better than they. But John makes it clear that God wants us to know, for sure, that we are saved, and that God lives in us, as we live in God. It is not presumption to take God at His word, or to rely on the love God has for us. It would be presumption NOT to trust God’s promises. “Perfect love drives out fear” 1 John 4:17–18. I suspect that most people feel a twinge of anxiety, and glance at their speedometer, if they see a police car while on the road. We appreciate police as guardians of the public good. But most of us are a little nervous around one. It’s similar for most folks with God. The idea that God is over there in the next car, watching us, makes a person feel a bit edgy. John, however, said that we need have no fear or anxiety in our relationship with God. Any more than if the policeman we recognized in the next car was our dad. Then we’d just wave to him and smile. There would be no fear, because his presence near us offered no threat of punishment. Love does just this in our relationship with the Lord. On the one hand, we know He loves us. So He will do nothing to harm us. On the other, as we respond to Him with love, there’s no room left for fear. Terror of someone and love for him or her cannot exist at the same time. Real love drives out fear. So don’t fear God. Remember He loves you. And love Him in return. “He first loved us” 1 John 4:19–21. In God’s relationship with us, He is the initiator. He loves first. And His love makes a difference. It’s as if we were soaking wet kindling. We have no spark of love for God in us; no way to ignite a flame. But God’s love encompasses us. It warms and dries us, and finally kindles love’s fire in our own hearts. In our relationship with God love drives out fear. In our relationship with others, love creates true caring. What John was saying here is very important. If God’s love hasn’t warmed, dried, and kindled our own love for others, then we have not yet learned to love God. The same fire that warms God’s hearts warms our brothers and sisters. “His commands are not burdensome” 1 John 5:1–5. Again John insisted that God stimulates one love in our heart; a love that expresses itself both toward God and toward others. We can’t be warm toward God and cold toward our fellowman at the same time. There’s another exciting thing about love for God. It makes obeying easy. “Want to” is always easier than “have to.” As long as we feel that we are forced against our will to do certain things that God demands, those things will be burdensome to us. But if we eagerly want to do those same things, they seem to us to be a delight. You can easily check the state of your love for the Lord using this principle. If you find you want to do those things that you know please Him, you can be sure that your love for God is alive and well. “There are three that testify” 1 John 5:6–9. The meaning of the “water and blood” here is much debated. Perhaps the best way to understand them is to identify the “water” as Christ’s baptism, which introduced His public ministry here on earth, and the “blood” as His death, which ended it. Everything Jesus said and did in public, as well as His death, witness to His nature as the Son of God. The stories of Jesus’ life and death, confirmed in us today by the Holy Spirit, continue to identify Jesus as God’s Son and our Saviour. Anyone who rejects the record of Jesus’ life and death for us, as that record was inspired by the Spirit and is authenticated by the Spirit today, makes God out to be a liar (v. 10). How clearly this passage draws the issue for all mankind. We either believe God’s Word in and about Jesus, or we call God a liar. There is no middle ground. “God has given us eternal life” 1 John 5:10–11. Once again we have words of assurance. If you believe God’s words about Jesus, you have been given eternal life. That life is yours, now. “He who has the Son has life.” Since you believe, enjoy! Be assured of your acceptance by God, and revel in the love God has for you. That love is far more wonderful than all the riches of the world. “Ask anything according to His will” 1 John 5:14. It’s not that we have to guess at God’s will. This is a promise! As we live close to the Lord, He will guide our prayers, so that what we ask is what He wishes us to have. “Sin that does not lead to death” 1 John 5:16–20. “Death” here is biological, not spiritual. We see a parallel in 1 Corinthians 5, where Paul demanded that a brother who lived in open, persistent sin be expelled from the church, and also be handed over to Satan “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed” and his spirit “saved on the Day of the Lord.” It is persistent, determined continuation in known sin that puts a person beyond the reach of prayer, and exposes him or her to judgment in this life. But John wants us to realize true believers can sin, and should be the object of our prayers. And he wants us to be encouraged when we fall. God’s life in us will call us back to holiness, and we will “not continue in sin.” Don’t treat sin lightly. But don’t be overwhelmed when you fail. Draw on God’s strength, and stand again.

DEVOTIONAL

Blessed Assurance(1 John 5:11–15)

There are very few things in this world that we can be sure about. Becky Schmidt, our friend and our pastor’s wife went to the doctor for a regular checkup—and discovered she had cancer. She’s responding well to treatment. But suddenly the whole world of Richard and their three boys was shaken. Karl Klammer left the north to take a job here in Florida. The family sold their home, loaded their possessions in a U-Haul truck, and headed south. The day after he got here, the company he was to work for declared bankruptcy, and shut down operations. Last Saturday night a junior in our local high school was on her way to work. An- other car went through a stop sign, struck her vehicle, and killed her. Assurance—that confident assurance about ourselves and our future—is something that this world simply does not offer. Yet, right now, you and I can be absolutely sure, if we believe in Jesus, that we have eternal life. We can be completely confident that God listens to our prayers, and that as we ask according to His will, the answer is assured. The circumstances of our life on earth will always remain uncertain. We can be assured only of the reality, and the wonder, of our relationship with God.

Personal Application

Claim the blessings of assurance, that are your heritage through faith in Jesus Christ.

Quotable

“To be assured of our salvation is no arrogant stoutness. It is faith. It is devotion. It is not presumption. It is God’s promise.” —St. Augustine