Thank you. Jesus half-brother Jude warned believers about divisive people within the church,

but before he addressed the threat, he reminded his readers of the truths that Christ followers can hold on to, even when

bad news is being delivered.

Alistair Begg continues our Encore 2025 series today on Truth for Life by exploring these

truths found in the opening verses of Jude's letter.

Thank you. the opening verses of Jude's letter. Now I'm writing to those who are called beloved in God and kept for Jesus Christ.

One of the things that Jude does is he would really be a pretty good preacher because he has

lots of three points.

And here's his first,

little trinity or little triad, called, beloved, and kept. Now, I don't have a very good

memory, so I have to come up with things to help me to remember. So this is what I have for

these three. That is, this is the central bank of Kenya, all right?

Central Bank of Kenya. To those who are called, called. He's not addressing them by who they are

or by where they are, but by what they are. It's a general epistle. It's one of a number of general epistles. It doesn't have

an immediate geographical identity, nor does it have an immediate representation in the one who is

its recipient. No, it is just this. The specifics of the letter, of course, as we have read it

just now, point to the fact

that he is addressing a particular church or a particular group of churches, and the recipients

to whom he writes are as identified. First of all, they are called. The Bible refers with frequency to the fact

that the Christian, the child of God, is one whom God has called. This means more than simply

invited. You remember, we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling

block to Jews, folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks,

...