Jason Helopoulos

And I was thinking, poor Jude, you know, there won't be complaining in heaven, but if someone had reason for a complaint, it's probably Jude.

He would say, ah, nobody cared about my book, you know.

I have—we do professions of faith at the church that I serve where children will have a Sunday, they come up and they do their profession of faith, and I introduce them to the congregation and say, you know, what is your name?

And usually one of the questions I ask them is, what is your favorite book of the Bible?

And none of them have ever said Jude, none of them.

But it is a wonderful little book, though she be small, she is mighty, and she has a lot for us to learn as we turn to it over these next seven sessions.

It's a message that Jude is putting forth that is helpful, not just for the generation he was in, obviously, but it is one that I think is desperately needed today.

And he's going to teach us about contending for the faith.

So that's what we're going to look at in this series, what it looks like to contend for the faith.

But I want to pray for us, and then we're going to look at the first two verses and think about the context and the author together in this first session.

So let me pray for us.

Our Father, we are thankful that you have given us your eternal Word, that it is sufficient for life, that it is sufficient for faith.

We pray that even as we attend to these next seven sessions together, that as you have promised, that your Word would not return void.

that you would speak to us as we each have need, and that you would bring to the eyes of our hearts the beauty of our Savior Christ Jesus.

It's in his strong name that we pray.

Amen.

Let me read verses 1 and 2, and then let's walk through a little context together as well.

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.

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

So let's talk a little bit about the author to start with.