But you, beloved, remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ Sermons
I. CONFIRMATION OF HIS STATEMENTS BY THE AUTHORITY OF APOSTLES. 1. It is evident that Jude's Epistle was written subsequent, perhaps long subsequent, to the Epistles of Peter and Paul, to which he refers. These sensual seducers had time to develop their corruptions and their audacity of position. 2. Jude recognizes the Divine authority and inspiration of these earlier writings of Scripture. 3. He throws back the saints upon the recollection of Scripture as their only authoritative guide. There is no evidence that he refers here to any oral traditions. 4. Jude believes in the fact of prophetic illumination. 5. It is the duty of ministers to warn their people against a approaching evils. 6. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. II. THE SUBSTANCE OF THE PROPHETIC WARNING. "In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts." Note here the predicted appearance of wicked mockers. 1. They arise in "the last time." That is, in the period lying between the first and the second advents of Christ. They appear even under the purest dispensation of grace. The wicked are most wicked when grace is most abundant. 2. They are as wicked as they are scornful. Mockery is, indeed, a note of advanced corruption. Their mockeries are directed both against God and man. These mockers were probably those referred to by Peter as asking, "Where is the promise of his coming?' (1) Mockery is essentially a profane act. It argues contempt of God's being as well as his attributes. (2) It argues unbelief. It implies that God's threatenings are a fable. (3) It is a barrier against the reception of good. "Rebuke a scorner, and he will hate thee" (4) It is a from of persecution (Galatians 4:29). (5) Great is the Divine forbearance with mockers. (6) God will punish the mockers. He "scorneth the scorners" (Proverbs 3:34); and will "mock at their calamities" in the day of their judgment. III. THE CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS IN THE PRESENCE OF MOCKERS. 1. We must bear mockings with patience, like our Lord, who "endured the cross, despising the shame" (Hebrews 12:2). 2. We must not render scoff for scoff, at the risk of hardening scoffers. 3. We must not allow scoffers to deter us from following the Lord fully. - T.C.
Remember ye the words... spoken before of the apostles. 1. Great should be the care of the ministers of Christ to warn the Church of approaching evils, especially of seducers.2. It is our duty to acknowledge and commend the gifts and graces of God bestowed upon others with respect. 3. The consent between the penmen of Scripture is sweet and harmonious; they were all breathed upon by the same Spirit, and breathed forth the same truth and holiness. 4. Scripture is the best preservative against seduction. 5. They who are forewarned should be forearmed. (W. Jenkyn, M. A.) Mockers in the last time 1. What is told to the Church in general, we must apprehend it as told to us. Paul telleth Timothy, and Peter telleth the distressed strangers, and Jude saith they told you. The Bible is a message sent from heaven to acquaint us with the mind of God; if we own the Divine authority of it, why do we regard it no more?2. We should not be troubled at what is foretold; monsters expected are not wondered at; expectation forearmeth the mind against evil (John 16:4). We are the better prepared to entertain evils when we expect them before they come, and the evil to which the mind is accustomed seemeth the less. Again, we have an experience of God's truth in the prediction. Finally, it assureth us that the Lord hath a hand and a counsel in all our troubles, for He told us of them before. 3. The Scriptures speak much of the evil of the latter times; there is more knowledge and yet more sin and error. The latter days are as the bottom and sink that receive the dregs of foregoing ages, and as the world groweth old it is much given to dreams and dotage. 4. Among other sins that are found in the latter times, there will be many scoffers, partly because in times of controversy men will lose all awe — when truths are made questionable assent is weakened; partly because in times of liberty men will give vent to their thoughts. 5. Mockers and scoffers are usually the worst of sinners. Scorning cometh from custom in sinning, and maketh way for freedom in sinning. 6. Those that cast off the awe of the Lord's coming will certainly give up themselves to brutish lusts. 7. It argueth a state of wickedness to walk after our own lusts; that is, when sin and lust is our constant practice. (T. Manton.) By scoffing at things sacred, and ridiculing the notion that there is any harm in licentiousness, or anything estimable in holiness, they created a moral atmosphere in which men sinned with a light heart, because sin was made to look as if it were a matter of no moment, a thing to be indulged in without anxiety or remorse. It would be more reasonable and less reprehensible to make a mock at carnage or pestilence, and teach men to go with a light heart into a desolating war or plague-stricken neighbourhood. In such cases experience of the manifest horrors would soon cure the light-heartedness. But the horrible nature of sin is not so manifest, and with regard to that, experience teaches its lesson more slowly. It is like a poisoning of the blood rather than a wound in the flesh, and may have done incalculable mischief before any serious pain is felt, or any grave alarm excited. Hence it is quite easy for many to "walk after their own ungodly lusts" and at the same time "mock at sin" and its consequences.(A. Plummer, D. D.) People Adam, Balaam, Cain, Core, Enoch, James, Judas, Jude, Korah, MichaelPlaces Egypt, Ephesus, Gomorrah, SodomTopics Apostles, Beforehand, Beloved, Christ, Dearly-loved, Foretold, Friends, Loved, Memory, Ones, Ought, Predictions, Remember, Sayings, SpokenOutline 1. He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith.4. false teachers crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine a horrible punishment is prepared; 20. whereas the godly may persevere, grow in grace, and keep the faith. Dictionary of Bible Themes Jude 1:17 7026 church, leadership 8126 guidance, need for Library The Holy Spirit and the one ChurchOur text suggests to us three things: first, an inquiry--Have we the Spirit? secondly, a caution--if we have not the spirit we are sensual; thirdly, a suspicion--there are many persons that separate themselves. Our suspicion concerning them is, that notwithstanding their extra-superfine profession, they are sensual, not having the Spirit; for our text says, "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." I. First, then, our text suggests AN INQUIRY--Have we the Spirit? This … Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858 Persevering Grace. Jude 1:24,25. The Manifestation of the Church with Christ. The Twofold Bearing of this Fact. The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Present Exaltation of Satan. Salvation. Saved by Grace; The Character of Its Teachings Evidences the Divine Authorship of the Bible Links Jude 1:17 NIVJude 1:17 NLT Jude 1:17 ESV Jude 1:17 NASB Jude 1:17 KJV Jude 1:17 Bible Apps Jude 1:17 Parallel Jude 1:17 Biblia Paralela Jude 1:17 Chinese Bible Jude 1:17 French Bible Jude 1:17 German Bible Jude 1:17 Commentaries Bible Hub |