Greetings my brothers and sisters – my friends and neighbors. It’s Sunday July 19TH 2020, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. And let us go in to God’s Word.
For about a year I preached about James – the half-brother of Jesus – James The Just. I preached 10 sermons from the Book of James. Good stuff. Good News. It was my first extended message series. I should do another one. Maybe in a few years.
So after James, and 1ST & 2ND Peter, and 1ST, 2ND, and 3RD John – comes Jude. Jude is right before the Book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament. And Jude – he was a brother of James – which means – he was a brother of Jesus. Like James – Jude did not believe and follow Christ during Christ’s short ministry. They just thought that He was a bit crazy. It wasn’t until after Christ rose from the dead – like He said He would – that James, Jude, and others became believers and followers of Christ. They became church leaders after that. The resurrection of Christ proved everything.
So Jude’s letter is a single chapter – with 25 verses. Jude warns us about false teachers in the early church, and how they lived their lives away from the church.
You know the modern church of today has false teachers and false prophets. We all have the capability of being a false teacher or a false prophet. It’s so easy to do. You know we become false prophets when we worry about something – when we allow fear to come in to our heart. We become false prophets when we prophecy on a future that our God does not have planned.
“I am so worried about this happening and that happening. I do not know what I am going to do to recover from that disaster, but I better come up with a plan. God help me with this plan. Show me the way !” Meanwhile God is trying to tell you, “What disaster ?” (It’s all in your mind.)
We become false prophets when we waste time – when we waste energy – dwelling on something that’s not going to happen.
Sure bad things are going to happen to us along the way, but more bad things happen to us in our thoughts than actually occur in real life. Don’t let the enemy into your mind – into your heart. The enemy leaves less space for God to occupy your mind and your heart.
I like the ending of Jude’s letter. It’s an uplifting worship to our God.
Now all glory to God – who is able to keep you from falling away, and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God – our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time ! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 NLT)
Whenever you have one of those days – where you think that you’re not good enough for God – or where you think that God isn’t there for you – or where you think that there’s something better for you in the world out there – look to that Scripture right there – those two verses from Jude. Only God has all of the glory – all of the majesty – all of the power – and all of the authority – then, now, and forever. That’s the God I believe. That’s the God I follow. That’s the God I trust. That’s the God who is overflowing with “Kindness & Love”.
Show that “Kindness & Love” to your brothers and sisters – to your friends and neighbors.
All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries
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