The Book of Jude for Lenten Repentance Maundy Thursday
Waiting for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! In tonight’s Epistle, Jude teaches us—he implores us—to wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amidst every struggle and temptation, in the face of any danger and all fear, wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus.” The “mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ… leads to eternal life.” Dear Christian friends, In a simple, yet masterful way, Jude clearly preaches to us tonight that “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” is a double, twofold blessing for our lives. 1. The first blessing is that “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” is yours and mine right here and right now. With one single word in tonight’s reading, Jude makes it abundantly clear that you and I have each already been given God’s mercy; that we now possess God’s mercy. Jude declares that we already have God’s mercy, right here and right now, when he calls us the beloved of God: “You must remember, BELOVED,” Jude says. “BELOVED, build yourselves up,” Jude says. When he repeatedly calls us “beloved,” Jude is not referring to his own feeling or disposition toward us. Jude uses this Word to describe God our heavenly Father’s feeling and disposition toward us. The word “beloved” here in tonight’s reading harkens all the way back to the very beginning of Jude’s letter. When he started writing, Jude described you and me and all Christians in this way: “To those who are called, BELOVED IN GOD THE FATHER, and kept for Jesus Christ.” • “Beloved in God the Father”: Jude wants us to remember that phrase from earlier in his letter when he repeats to us tonight, “You must remember, BELOVED” and “BELOVED, build yourselves up.” In these Words, we are not Jude’s beloved; we are the beloved of God! • “Beloved in God the Father”: That is a perfect way to describe “The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,” which is yours and mine right here and right now! You are “beloved in God the Father” because Christ Jesus manifested God’s love for you in His suffering and death. You are “beloved in God the Father” because “the blood of Jesus His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). You are, right now, “beloved in God the Father” because in your Baptism “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). 2. Jude also wants us to know that “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” is not merely God’s present disposition or feeling toward us. “The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” is also our guaranteed future! That is why I earlier said to you that Jude wants us to think of “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” as God’s double, twofold blessing for our lives. Not only does Jude call us “beloved,” right here and right now, but Jude also instructs us to WAIT “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus.” No one waits for something that has already arrived. We wait for things yet to be received. When he tells us to wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus,” Jude wants us to know that there are ever greater mercies from Jesus still coming to us in the future! At the very least, the “mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” will multiply our joy on the Last Day, when we stand “blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” But the prophets also promised that God’s mercies would be new for us every morning: “Great is Your faithfulness [O LORD]!” (Lamentations 3:23). Because of the every-morning newness of God’s mercy, we do not need to think only of the Last Day as we wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus.” Even tomorrow morning, God shall pour out anew the mercy of Christ upon us! • The mercy of Christ will ever increase for us, so that we may be continually restored when we become “those who doubt.” • The mercy of Christ will patiently pour new for us, repeatedly and steadfastly snatching us “out of the fire.” • The mercy of Christ shall to lead us to eternal life, even while we live out our days in these corrupted bodies; these “garments stained by the [sinful] flesh.” Beloved of God, wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus.” Amidst every struggle and temptation, in the face of any danger and all fear, wait “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus.” God’s mercy is yours right here and right now. Indeed, God’s mercy has been yours eternally from the first drop of water that landed upon you in Baptism. So, too, God’s mercy will ever be renewed for you here at the altar, in the body and blood of your merciful Lord Jesus Christ. God’s mercy shall remain yours always, and you shall stand “blameless in the presence of His glory.” Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
