Jude III

MINISTER, Rev. Thomas O. Scarborough.

Jude. Verse 2.

We are studying the book of Jude at the moment -- and last Sunday we ended with a great, sweeping picture of what it means to be a Christian -- at the end of verse 1.

We said that Jude wrote this small letter even though he had not intended to. He intended -- in verse 3 -- to write a letter to the Churches about the salvation we share -- but God instead distracted Jude, and led him to write this gem of a letter -- which we said has been the centrepiece in Christian revivals through the ages.

But even though Jude was driven off course, and even though this letter was not what he intended to write -- but it was what God intended him to write -- we get some clues as to what he would have written in that other letter about salvation. In the first three verses especially, we have what probably is the outline of that letter on the salvation we share.

Last Sunday we looked at three points on that outline of Jude, and I’d like to just run through them again quickly this morning. They are at the end of verse 1.

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Firstly, as Christians we are a people who have been called. We have been called by God.

And if you call someone, you are calling them out -- you are calling them away. We are a people who have been called out of the world. Once we were in the world -- now we have been called out of the world -- out of the darkness -- and into the kingdom of God's Son.

Secondly, we read here that as Christians we are a people who are loved by God the Father. We are loved by God.

When we were still out there in the world -- before the Lord saved us -- we were under His condemnation -- we were under His eternal wrath. Now we have moved out from under His condemnation, and we have come under His love. And everything that happens in our lives is now a sign of His love -- we heard that in the reading from Romans.

And thirdly -- as Christians we are kept by Jesus Christ. We are held by Him, and protected by Him.

Once we have moved from that old life -- to this new life -- we are not going to be lost again. We read here that we are kept by Jesus Christ. He keeps us there -- notice that it is not you who keeps you there -- and He deepens the quality of our relationship with Him as we go along.

Notice that there is a kind of time-progression in verse 1. In the past, we were called -- in the present we are loved -- into the future we will be kept.

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This morning we are going to move on to verse 2 -- which is just eight words in our pew Bible. And you will see that there are three key words there -- mercy, peace, and love -- or maybe we should say there are four key words there -- because there is that word “abundance” at the end of the verse. We’ll come to that in a moment.

Now before we can continue, we need to consider the context of Jude’s words. When he talks about mercy, peace, and love, what is the context?

Is Jude speaking about the mercy, peace, and love we should be showing to others?

Is he talking about the mercy, peace, and love that we have in our hearts?

Or is he talking about the mercy, peace, and love which belong to God, which God demonstrates towards us? In other words, is he talking about those qualities of God's character that He shows towards those who are saved?

Well the answer is that Jude is talking about God. Everything in the context suggests that he is talking about God, and about salvation.

Especially that word mercy is something that is characteristic of God. Peace is also something that God gives. And love in this case -- means the love that God shows towards us.

I like the way that the New King James Bible translates this verse, because it translates it clearly, and closely to the original text. It says: "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you." That is, God multiplies these things towards us.

So if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend or husband or wife, you can try this line on them: “I don’t just love you, honey -- I love you multiplied.” That is what God’s attitude is towards us.

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Now let’s just get a little background on this verse 2 in Jude. It is not only Jude who tells us these things. It is not only Jude who writes about mercy, peace, and love. This was a theme of the whole New Testament Church -- and that is why we had that reading from Romans this morning.

What did Paul say in that passage?

Firstly, he told us how God shows us mercy -- in abundance. He said: "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?... Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus... is at the right hand of God, and is interceding for us." That speaks about the completeness of God's mercy towards us.

Paul then told us how God shows us His love in abundance. He said: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... Not anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That speaks about the completeness of God's love towards us.

And then Paul told us in that reading how God makes us more than conquerors through Him who loved us. "In all things," he said, "we are more than conquerors." We have complete victory, as another Bible version says. (TEV). And when you are more than a conqueror, then you have peace. You have an unshakeable heart.

So Paul was speaking about very much the same things that Jude is speaking about in this second verse of Jude.

It's wonderful how the Bible so perfectly agrees throughout. Paul essentially says that God gives us mercy and love and peace in abundance -- the same as what Jude says, only in a different order.

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Let’s begin by looking at that word abundance, in verse 2. God loves us multiplied. His mercy is multiplied towards us. His peace is multiplied to us.

Jude does not simply say: "Mercy, peace, and love be yours." I think that is where most Christians are in their faith -- they say "mercy, peace, and love are mine", but they forget about the rest of this line. Until you can say the rest of this line, you only have a very limited and restricted view of what your faith is all about.

Jude says: "Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance." And that phrase "in abundance" makes all the difference to this verse.

Listen to what other Bible versions say: "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you." (NASB). "May mercy, peace, and love be yours in full measure." (TEV). “May God give you much mercy, peace, and love.” (Luther).

These translations are really trying to express what cannot easily be expressed. Once we have been saved by the blood of Jesus, we come into a relationship with God whereby His mercy and peace and love towards us are abundant.

God is not like us. God is not a God of half measures. When God accepts us through Jesus Christ -- then He accepts us completely. His love towards us is without measure. It is absolutely uninhibited. The Lord holds nothing back.

Our reading earlier from Romans chapter 8 said: "How will He not also -- along with His Son -- graciously give us all things?" If He gave us His Son -- why then should He hold anything back from us?

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Well, some people might say, God does not have abundant mercy and peace and love towards me -- because -- He has made my life hard for me -- or He has brought judgement upon me -- or unhappiness into my life.

But then you have not understood what the Bible says about God.

If you have been saved by the blood of Jesus -- if there was a moment in your life where you asked Him to save you from sin, and you asked Him to become Your Lord and Master, and asked His Holy Spirit to take over every part of your life -- then you have been made a new creation, you have been clothed in robes of righteousness, you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, you have been seated with Him in the heavenly realms ... -- And that is only the beginning.

And this means that anything that comes your way, from the day of your conversion, is God's blessing upon you. And even if it seems hard -- and if it seems dark -- that does not mean that it is anything less than an abundance of His mercy and peace and love in your life. And so many Christians look back on the hardest times of their lives, and they say, “That was God’s greatest blessing.”

Pat and her husband -- the Pat who took our reading this morning -- were attacked by a gunman. Pat survived it, but her husband did not. And I wish you could hear her speak about God’s mercy and peace and love -- in spite of that. Maybe someday she’ll share that story with us.

There’s a young woman in our congregation -- Sharmaine -- who earlier this year was sent home from Groote Schuur hospital inoperable -- cancer had broken through her flesh --- but a daring surgeon took flesh off her back, and covered up the front. Yet she and her husband say that God’s blessings have been wonderful in this time.

I hope that one thing we will understand this morning is that we don't have a grudging God as Christian believers -- and we don't receive partial blessings from Him.

The Bible makes it clear that -- as we have it here in Jude -- His mercy and peace and love are abundant towards us. They are without limit.

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Let us look more closely at those three words in verse 2.

The first word is "mercy".

I think so often Christians think that God's mercy is just enough mercy to tolerate me without bringing down His hand of judgement upon me.

The idea we so often have of God's mercy is that He is barely merciful towards us -- or that He is just on the point of withdrawing His mercy from us.

But what Jude tells us is in verse 2 is that He is merciful to us in abundance -- in full measure. His mercy is multiplied towards us. He just pours out more and more upon us.

Let’s remember, though, that if you receive mercy, you actually need mercy. George Mpunga said something good about the Holy Spirit a few Sundays ago. -- He said that the Holy Spirit it called the Helper -- and if He is called the Helper, that means we need help.

Some people talk about God’s overflowing mercy as though it is something they deserve -- as though it is something everyone should receive. But let’s remember that mercy is only overflowing because we need a mercy that is overflowing. That is one of the themes of Jude, which we shall return to in weeks to come.

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Returning to the book of Jude verse 2 -- the second word we find here is the word "peace".

And once again, the peace that God gives us is a peace in abundance.

What does this mean?

So often people are afraid of trouble, because they will lose their peace. And actually, there is hardly anything worse than losing your peace.

You can lose your friends, and you can lose your career, and you can lose your money, and you can lose your health -- but what does that matter if you still have -- peace?

We have the wonderful privilege as Christians that our God is the source of peace. He is the source of real peace -- because it is a peace that nothing can destroy.

In our reading this morning from Romans chapter 8, Paul said that we are more than conquerors -- and along with that statement, he listed the situations in which we are more than conquerors.

He said that we are more than conquerors in trouble, and in hardship, and in persecution, and in famine, and in nakedness, and in danger, and in sword -- that is, in war. And as we said a moment ago -- if you are more than a conqueror, that means that you have peace.

If God can give you peace in such situations, isn't that a peace in abundance?

You might not have all the peace you would like to have right now -- but know that God is working in you a peace in abundance -- a peace that is so abundant that it will give you peace in every situation of life.

God's peace is a peace that drives very deep. That is what Jude is saying to us this morning in verse 2.

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And then the third word that we find here in the book of Jude -- verse 2 -- is the word "love". And remember that this refers to God's love -- which is multiplied towards us.

So often Christians also have a limited view of God's love.

Now let’s remember that love is something that finds expression. Love is something that shows itself. A love that doesn't show itself is just not love. When the Bible says that "God so loved the world..." we know that He showed His love to the world through His only begotten Son. One dictionary says that love means to “like or desire actively.”

Now there are Christians who believe that God loves them -- but they don't believe that God's shows them that love through His deeds -- through His actions. Maybe they believe that God shows them His love through nature -- maybe they believe that God has an attitude of love towards them in His heart -- but they don't see the active aspect of His love.

The Bible says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord?” (Psalm 106:1-2). It says: "Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love -- and His wonderful deeds for men." (Psalm 107:8).

And God's love towards us is abundant. It is not only something that we see in nature -- it is not only something that exists in the heart of God -- but it is a love that God expresses towards us by His mighty power.

It is an abundant love.

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That is the simple message of the book of Jude verse 2 this morning, and I hope that this will be a great encouragement to us. It is an encouragement because this is what God says, through His Word -- it’s not just what the minister said, but these are some basic words that God wants us to know -- it is what God’s Word tells us about His mercy, peace, and love, which are multiplied towards us as the people of God.

AMEN.