Sermon Tone Analysis

*Christians are Called, Loved, and Kept*

/Sermon on Jude Vs 1/

Preached in Southbridge on 5-13-07

 

Jud 1:1 

/Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: /

 

Introduction:

            Jude has a certain group of Christians in mind when he writes this letter.

They have specific needs and problems but Jude says something in the opening of his letter that describes all Christians than and now.

That’s what we want to look at thins morning.

Let’s read the first few verses of Jude together.

What was true of these Christians is true of all Christians.

We are all “Called, Loved, and Kept”.

But what does that mean?

 

 

*1.

**(Called)*

a.

This word carries the idea of an invitation.

We get invitations all the time from Pampered chief and birthday parties to wedding invitations.

And an invitation can be rejected.

I don’t have to answer the invitation but those of us who are Christians have answered the call and have accepted the invitation but what have we been invited or called to?

 

/b.

/*(To the lambs banquet)* We read in Revelation 19:7-9/  /

/                                                  i.

//"Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

/

/                                                ii.

/ Jesus said in Matthew 22:1-/14/

/                                               iii.

// "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,/

1.

We have been invited to the lamb’s banquet, the kingdom of God.

Those who are in Christ have entered into that kingdom and we have tasted the good things of the kingdom banquet but when we reach eternity we will enjoy the banquet in its fullest sense.

A banquet is a time of love and joy.

Peace and fellowship as well as a time for celebration.

We have been invited to the Lamb’s wedding banquet where we are to enjoy the good things of God.

 

/c.

/*(To serve)* But that’s not all we have been called to.

We have been called to serve.

i.

Romans 12:1 /I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship./

We are to serve our Lord and God but we are also called to serve one another

 

                                                ii.    1 Peter 4:10 /As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace,/ We are called to serve one another.

John 13:1-17 Jesus does something amazing, he washes the feet of the disciples and says they are to do the same for each other that is to serve one another.

And you know as we serve one another we are serving Christ.

iii.

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus tells us what the final judgment will be like and he says that one thing people will be judged on is their love and service for others and says that those who served others were in fact serving Christ.

iv.

/"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'  /

                                                v.

Now Jesus goes on to say the opposite, that is those who refused to serve others refused to serve him.

Saul found this out when he was on the road to Damascus and he saw the risen Christ.

Jesus said Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me.

You see Saul was persecuting the church his body and so was doing it to Christ.

1.

We have been invited or called to service.

We serve our Lord and God with our lives as a living sacrifice to God and we are to serve God by serving one another.

d.

(*To suffer*) and we have been called to suffer.

i.    1 Peter 2:21 / For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps./

1.

We are called to suffer for the name of Christ.

When people mock you or persecute you in any way for being a Christian you are blessed.

It may be that your family will mock you or talk about you behind your back or your friends will no longer want to be your friends because you are a Christian well in that you are blessed because you are suffering for the name of Christ.

If you are having trials in your life and things are going from bad to worse to what feels like the depths of suffering it can’t get any worse, if you endure for Christ you are blessed.

You see we have been invited to suffer, pick up your sufferings and follow Christ.

People see Jesus when you suffer like Jesus.

Rejoice and know you are suffering for the name of Christ.

/e.

/(*To invite others*) We have been called to invite others.

In Matthew 28:19-20 we read

/                                                  i.

//Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

/

1.

We are called to invite others to the Good news.

We are to spread the message of Jesus Christ and hand people the invitation to life.

You were invited to the Lamb’s banquet and are now given the task of inviting others.

If you had the cure for Cancer, the only cure, there was no other cure, and you kept that cure to yourself how wrong would that be?

As millions of people are dying all around you and you say well I don’t speak well, or they might laugh at me or what ever else.

It wouldn’t matter would it?

No, you would go out of your way to tell people I have the cure, here it is please take it.

And if they pasted it by the first time when you saw them later as the Cancer was progressing you would tell them again wouldn’t you?

I have the cure here.

2.

Well sin is killing far more people that Cancer ever has or ever will and you have the cure, Jesus Christ.

More deadly and destructive that any disease, is sin and we have the cure the one and only cure for the sin sick of this world and you have been invite to invite others to life.

You will meet people that I will never meet.

You may be the only person to offer them the cure to hand them the invitation.

*2.

**(Loved)* Jude goes on to describe these Christians as Beloved of God the father.

One translation says “Wrapped in God’s love” I like that it brings to my mind a cold winter night where you are sitting in front of a fire with a blanket or two wrapped around you.

Warm and safe.

I like that imagery.

We are wrapped in God’s love.

What kind of love it God’s love?

* *

*a.    **(Sacrificial love)*

/                                                  i.

/1 John 4:10 /In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins./

(To be the sacrifice for sin).

1.

The love of God is a sacrificial love.