Week 1, DAY 4
Week 1 Jude 1:1-4
Today
- Focus on Jude’s purpose for writing.
- Get used to using GODcha’s tools.
- LISTEN to God speak as we concentrate on GODcha’s LEARN/LIVE questions.
Why did Jude feel the need to write?
Am I contending earnestly for the faith?
Open GODcha to the Book of Jude
NOTE:
If you don’t have GODcha Get It>
Or, use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.
You can print off this week’s posts and put in a notebook!
Okay, Let’s Begin.
Bear in mind. . .
Why Did Jude Write This Letter?
Get the purpose under your belt!
Understand, everything that Jude wrote in his letter points back to the purpose.
If you forgot – See the Overview
Let’s Pray
And Continue With an Attitude of Prayer
Perhaps. . .
O Lord, we come to You, asking that You lead us and guide us in Your Truth. Help us see Your Word today. Please open our minds to understand what You are saying, and help us to see why You are saying these things. Lord, teach us to think and live in the light of what You show us. Teach us Your ways so we will walk in Your truth. Thank you so much. (Luk 24:44-47); (Psa 86:11)
If you get STUCK, stop and pray!
Take a LOOK 
Begin LOOKING By READING
Read Jude 1:1-4 again – asking the who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
Focus on verse 3 asking the 5W and H questions.
1. What had Jude wanted to write about?
2. But, then what happened? What was necessary to write?
3. What do you learn about the faith?
LOOK Closer
Key Words
GODcha Gives Some Suggestions
Now, what will you want to concentrate on that is key to help you stay focused?
You will want to scope out:
Salvation;
Contend earnestly;
the Faith.
Let’s LOOK at each one of these Key words separately!
LOOK At
Salvation –> Key
Do you know what ‘salvation’ means?
Word Meanings
Just a touch of your finger!
SALVATION, sōtēría. Safety, deliverance, preservation from danger or destruction. (II) In the NT, salvation is deliverance from sin and its spiritual consequences, involving an attachment to the body of Christ, and admission to eternal life with blessedness in the kingdom of Christ.
DON’T STOP THERE!
Remember: Take the meaning back to the text.
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation [deliverance from sin]”
TIP: Mark this in your hardbound Bibles.
Do this until it becomes a wonderful habit.
Do Some Cross Referencing, (aka CR)
Find GODcha’s Picks. Do a Word Search.
As you check out these Truths – ask the 5W and H questions.
What does God say about salvation?
1. What must one do to be saved from sin and have eternal life?
Mar 1:15
1Co 15:1-8
Mar 16:16
Rom 10:9
2. How is one saved; not saved?
Eph 2:8-9
Tit 3:5
What Did You LEARN
Sum It Up!
Salvation is a gift from God.
Salvation is:
Deliverance from sin.
By grace through faith.
According to God’s mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.
NOT by works that any man should boast.
NOT on the basis of deeds.
For Jews and Gentiles.
Salvation comes when a sinner:
Repents – turns from sin and turns to God.
Believes the gospel. That:
-Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
-He was buried and raised on the 3rd day according to the Scriptures; and
-Appeared to over 500 brethren at one time.
Salvation involves:
Confessing Jesus as Lord, and
Believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.
LISTEN to God Speak
God Talks – We LISTEN!
We Talk – He LISTENS!
What is God asking and/or saying to you about salvation?
The Personal Question(s) Might Be:
Am I saved? Do I share in the joys of this common salvation?
When did I realize I was a sinner in need of a Savior and salvation from sin?
What do I believe about Jesus?
When did I repent and confess Jesus as Lord, and believe He was raised from the dead?
Are the Truths of salvation being compromised in my church?
Read verse 3 again.
Why is Jude writing?
Next LOOK At
Contend Earnestly For the Faith –> Key
Word Meanings
Right at your fingertips!
CONTEND EARNESTLY, epagōnízomai; The root is agōnizo from which you get agonize. To struggle for: to strive, fight for. Fight strenuously for, to defend vigorously.
The Grammar
‘Contend’ is a verb,
Expressing an action, often very significant to what the author is saying.
The Grammar for ‘Contend’ is The Present Infinitive Middle (pim).
You need to understand Present Infinitive is continuous!
We are to continuously agonize, strive, fight, defend the faith.
“It’s a call to arms.” Warren Weirsbe
“. . .the battle is agonizing sometimes because you have to deal with not only the error that’s there, but the resistance on the part of the people who are swept up by the error or unconcerned about it or not discerning enough to know that it is error.” John MacArthur
THE FAITH, pístis; persuasion, conviction of religious truth, and/or the truthfulness of God, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation.
The Grammar: ‘the’ is a Definite Article
Means Jude is talking about the whole body of Truth, ‘the’ Truth of God’s Word.
DON’T STOP THERE!
Remember: Take the meanings back to the text.
“I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly [continuously fight strenuously for; defend vigorously] for the faith [the truth of God’s Word]”
TIP: Mark these in your hardbound Bibles.
Let’s Do Some Cross Referencing, (aka CR)
GODcha Will Help.
Remember – ask the 5W and H questions.
What does God say about contend earnestly for the faith?
1. What is involved in contending?
How do we contend?
Why do we contend?
Tit 1:9
2Ti 1:13-14
2Ti 2:24-26
Eph 6:10-13
1Ti 1:18; 6:12, 19-20
2Ti 2:4; 6:12
2. What is the faith?
What does the faith do?
Act 2:42; 6:7
1Co 15:1-8
Gal 1:23
Eph 4:5, 13
Phil 1:27-28
3. Why are we to contend for the faith?
1Ti 4:1-3, 6
4. How do we contend?
1Co 16:13
5. Why? What will some do with the faith?
Gal 1:8
Read verse 3 again.
THINK: How does Jude define this faith?
Take A LOOK At
Once For All
Handed Down to the Saints
Word Meanings
ONCE FOR ALL, hápax; one time, conclusively.
HANDED DOWN, paradídōmi; intrust, commit, deliver (up), give (over, up).
SAINTS, hágios; Holy, set apart, separated, sanctified.
Do Some Cross Referencing, (aka CR)
Find GODcha’s picks. Do a Word Search.
Don’t forget – ask the 5W and H questions.
1. What does God say about once for all delivered?
What do you learn about adding or taking away from His Word of Truth?
Deut 4:2
Rev 22:18
Understand: there is no new faith. No new revelation!
2. Who are the saints?
Why are the saints, saints?
What is true of the saints?
What do they do?
1Co 1:2
1Pe 1:2
2Th 2:13
Rom 15:16
Isa 43:7
Eph 2:10
Gal 6:19
Rom 6:6
Col 1:13
What Did You LEARN
Scope out GODcha’s #3 LEARN Question(s)
3. What was Jude going to write about? Instead, what was necessary to write?
a. What is ‘the faith’, CR?
b. What does it mean to contend for ‘the faith’
c. What does it mean that ‘the faith’ was once and for all delivered to the saints? (v3)
Sum It Up!
Jude wants the beloved to contend earnestly for the faith.
There is One faith:
Which is the Word of God, the gospel, the knowledge of the Son of God, Truth!
That brings one to salvation from sin.
To Contend for the faith means to to fight for the faith.
So we must know God’s Truth –> the faith.
We are to:
– continuously fight for the faith;
– hold fast the faith;
– exhort and refute in the faith –>sound doctrine;
– guard, protect, the faith;
– be gentle, teaching the faith, in order to lead others to the knowledge of the Truth so they will become obedient to the faith.
We Are To Contend for the Faith Because:
Some will preach a gospel contrary to the true gospel.
Many in later times will fall away from the faith.
The Faith Was Once For All Handed Down To The Saints.
Saints Are:
Sanctified, set apart, in Christ and obey Christ.
Granted grace and peace in fullest measure.
Saints Are:
Saints by calling, who call on the name of the Lord.
Saints according to the foreknowledge of God.
Set apart from sin.
Old self has been crucified, no longer slaves to sin.
Rescued from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of God’s Son.
Set apart by the Spirit and faith in Truth.
The Faith was entrusted in it’s completeness to the Saints.
There is no new revelation.
We are not to add or take away from it, the Word of God.
If one does add or take away God will add the plagues written in Revelation.
Again
Do you see – we answered the questions straight from the text?
There was absolutely NO guessing!
LISTEN to God Speak
God Talks – We LISTEN!
We Talk – He LISTENS!
What might God be saying, asking you personally?
GODcha’s #3 LIVE Question(s) Might Help
3. Am I a saint? Do I recognize the battle that is raging against the faith (Truth, the gospel)?
a. Do I have a love for and know God’s Truth?
b. To what lengths am I willing to go to contend (fight) for the faith?
c. Have I been sucked into anyone’s teaching that added new revelation to God’s Truth?
Respond to Him. . .LIVE it out!
That’s It For Today!
What’s holding you back from contending for the faith?
Meditate all day on how important it is to contend earnestly for the faith.
Ponder how important it is to know the Truth of God’s Word.
“I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word,” (Psalm 119:15-16).
Chat with God about this urgent message to us!
Now, Record What God Has Taught You
Put your discovery in your Notes.
Record the personal things God has touched you with.
Video Tutorial> Notes Tutorial >
Turn What We Have LEARNED into a Prayer
This will help you remember what you have learned.
GRACIOUS FATHER IN HEAVEN, we praise You and thank you for such simple Truth, such rich Truth! Thank you for the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus! Oh Father, help us to know You and Your Word of Truth, the faith, Your true gospel that was once and for all delivered to the saints, so we will have discerning hearts. Help us to understand that once we are truly saved from sin, through repentance and belief, we enter into the battlefield! Protect us from that which is false. Surround us with others who know You and Your Truth, and help us grow in the knowledge of Your Truth. Help us not to be afraid to contend against what is not True! Oh Lord Jesus, after all You have done for us: coming and dying for us, rising to restore us, why wouldn’t we fight for You and Your Truth? Remind us daily of Peter, John and Paul and so many others who stood their ground and were willing to suffer and die so we would receive the faith, the true gospel. May we be willing to proclaim Your gospel, the faith, and earnestly contend for it, protecting and guarding it as Paul told Timothy. We come to You in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Isn’t it wonderful to hear God Speak to us?
Next: We will begin to look at certain persons who have crept in unnoticed in Jud 1:4.
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