Hello and welcome to our program. We continue today in our Responsibilities of the Remnant. We're looking in the little book of Jude. As we get into the new year, this book tells us how to live in an age of apostasy. In our previous program, we have seen in Jude 1 and verse number 1 three things Jude was writing to, number one, them that are sanctified by God the Father. Number two, it says they are preserved in Jesus Christ. Number three, they are called. To be sanctified is simply to be set apart. Psalm 4 verse 3 says, but know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself The Lord will hear when I call unto him. Pre-preserved, we said, is simply to be kept alive, for the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, Psalm 37, 28. Jude says we are sanctified, we are preserved. And third, he said called, Ephesians 4, 1. reads, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. We said that word vocation has been translated calling ten times, and it would be good to translate it that way here. that ye walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye have been called now all of us who are listening to this program are born in this age in which we are living and it's not by mistake we could have been born in 1850 i would like to have been here during the great revivals when they came and and thousands of people were being saved. We're certainly not seeing that now. But God in his wisdom has put us here, and we need to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called. So we see three things here in a minute. We'll look at three things that are listed in verse number two, mercy, peace, and love. But before we look at that, let's listen to this message in song. Let's make it our prayer. Living for Jesus, a life that is true, striving to please Him in all that I do. Living for Jesus, a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do, Yielding my legions glad-hearted and free, is the pathway of blessing for me. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, for Thou in Thine atonement Ditch, give thyself for me. I own no other master. My heart shall be thy throne. My life I give, henceforth to live. O Christ, for thee alone. Living for Jesus, Who died in my place, Bearing on Calvary My sin and disgrace. Such love constrains me to answer His call. Follow His leading and give Him my all. the the the Living for Jesus wherever I am, doing each duty in His holiness. willing to suffer affliction and loss, deeming each trial a part of my cross. Living for Jesus, Throw us a little while My dearest treasure The light of his smile Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee. For thou in thine atonement didst give thyself for me. I own no other master. My heart shall be thy throne. My life I give henceforth to live. O Christ, for thee alone. Jew chapter 1 verse 2 we read mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied mercy he said unto you now he's talking about mercy he's talking about peace he's talking about love we read in matthew 24 12 jesus said because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold that word abound is the same greek word that we find in verse 2 multiplied where the iniquity abounds because the love of many whacks cold. And so what we're to do is our love as Christians is to be multiplied in an age of apostasy. And so we see mercy, mercy is helping those who don't deserve to be helped, that's all of us. Peace, well Philippians 4, 7 says, and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, but we also have love now love is speaking the truth in love is what Ephesians 4 15 says and So we see I call this Jude's love letter. What's he doing in his love letter? He's exposing the filthy dreamers in verse 8 and He's exposing the way of Cain in verse 11, the error of Balaam in verse 11, and the gainsaying of Cor in verse 11. He's exposing the spots in your feasts of love in verse 12. He's exposing the murmurers and complainers in verse 15. He is exposing those who are walking after their own lusts in verse 16. And then also he is exposing those who are speaking great swelling words in verse 16, taking advantage of you in verse 16. exposing the mockers at the end of the age in verse 18, and those that are sensual, having not the Spirit, in verse number 19. And so, speaking the truth in love. You don't just ignore all these things so you can keep the crowd coming and not get anybody upset. We can have truth without love, but we cannot have love without truth. Years ago, A.W. Tozer said this, and I totally agree with him. He said, The man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead a hard life, but a glorious one. May God raise up many such prophets, A.W. Tozer. But Jude said it was needful for me to write. He said in verse number three, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Now, in verse number three, we have the word Beloved. We have the word Beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken unto you, and then we have in verse 20 Beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith. Beloved, he's talking, as we said on our previous program, to that remnant that is willing to stand true in an age of apostasy. In verse 3, he says here he gave all diligence to write. Diligence. Now, if he's going to give all diligence, that's something extremely important. It is demanding our attention. Years ago, when our son was just a little boy in a crib, he was getting a temperature and we were busy. in our home at that time, painting a room in the house, and he was about two years old, and we'd check his temperature every 20 minutes, and it was going up, and then it was up to 105 degrees. I put him in the car. I took him right down to emergency. I went straight through the doors. I said, never mind the paperwork, get me a doctor right now. And they did. And why? Because, well, this is, this demands some attention right here. His degree is up to 105 degrees. Now we're going to look at how we need to respond to these situations, but first, as we said previously, we need to look at the context of what's happening here, and we're looking at the circumstances that are facing the remnant of today. The circumstance that Jude was concerned about is what he calls here the common salvation. Now the word common is a translation from the Greek word koinos, k-o-i-n-o-s, and it has been translated in Mark chapter 7 in verse number 2 is defiled it is translated three times in Romans 14 verse 14 is unclean and then in Hebrews 10 and 28 it has been translated unholy thing And so Judah's writing here, and he's saying it's very important, he gave all diligence, I got to expose this common, this defiled, this unclean, unholy plan of salvation that was prevalent in that time and is prevalent today. It's very important to understand that Jude did not change his mind concerning his message. If he did, the word but would be there. The word but occurs 3,994 times in the Bible, and it is always used to introduce something contrasting with what has just been said. There is no but in Jude 1 and verse 3. He's not saying, I wanted to write to you about the great old plan of salvation, but I had to write about this apostasy. There is no but there. What he said was, he gave all diligence to expose this common salvation. Paul the Apostle had the same problem when he talked about, I marvel, he says, that you are so soon removed from the gospel to another gospel, which he said is not really another gospel. And so Jude is writing about this common salvation. He said, it was needful for me to write. This means it's something very important. It was necessary because of the circumstance and the conditions cannot be overlooked. And we have the same thing today. We have a common salvation that says, You don't need to worry about repenting in order to get to heaven. If you believe that, you're saying, I don't believe what Jesus said, because Jesus said, I tell you nay, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Now he said, I exhort you. This word exhort has been translated beseech 43 times. It is to ask someone urgently and fervently to do something. And so who's the someone in verse number one? Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called, what are we called for? We are called to do something. What are we called to do? Earnestly contend for the faith. What is the remnant to do? Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saint. Earnestly means showing a sincere and intense conviction to do what we are here to do. As I said earlier, we were not born in 1850. We were not born in 1742. We are here in 2020 in this age of apostasy, and we need to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. And as we've mentioned before, I want to mention again, it says earnestly contend for the faith. It doesn't say earnestly contend against the apostasy the apostasy has been prophesied and so in this portion of scripture from verse 5 down through verse number 16 jude gives us information concerning the apostasy and concerning the apostates but when we get down to verse number 17 the focus changes and from verse number 17 on through to the end of the chapter he is telling us how to contend for the faith we'll be looking at it in our next program Be sure to tune in. Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have a Lord by side. I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free. Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee. I am resolved to go to the Savior, Leaving my sin and strife. He is the true one, He is the just one, He hath the words of life. so I am resolved to follow the Savior, faithful and true each day. Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth. He is a living way. I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free. Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee. I am resolved to enter the kingdom, leaving the paths of sin. Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me, still will I enter in. I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free. Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.