“Blessed” (Jude 2)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/9/2025 8:52 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                                Focus:  “Blessed”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  Jude 2

 

            Message of the verse:  “May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

 

            I want to begin this evening to look at some verses which tell us that the salvation that God provides for His children is one that is rich with blessings. The following is a list of verses which goes along with the previous sentence. (Pss. 37:6, 17, 24, 39; 84:5, 11; 92:12-14; Matt. 6:31-33; John 10:10; Acts 20:32; Rom. 9:23; 2 Cor. 9:8-10; and Phil. 4:19), and Jude mentions three of them which we see in Jude 2, our verse for this evening.  Now Jude takes the phrase mercy and peace, w common Jewish greeting (cf. 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2 John 3), and adds love to remind his readers of Christ’s love for them (cf. Eph. 3:19; Rev. 1:5).  This is the only time that this threefold expression is found here in the New Testament.

 

            Now we want to look at be multiplied, and MacArthur writes that this is “(a form of the verb plethuno, which means ‘to be increased,’ implicitly to the fullest measure.  Jude’s prayer is that his audience would continually enjoy the Lord’s blessing, no matter how difficult the spiritual battle might become (cf. 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2).”

 

            One of the things that I find in John MacArthur’s writings is that he will use many verses in order to compare and back up what he is writing about and there are many of those verses in this section this evening.  I just wanted to warn you that we will be looking at many verse references this evening.

 

            “First, God’s blessing includes a generous supply of His mercy (Mark 5:19; Luke 1:50; Rom. 9:15; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:4; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 2:10; cf. Isa. 63:9; Jer. 31:20).  Whenever believers commit sin, they will always find an ample supply of mercy at God’s throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).  Paul told the Romans that God manifested ‘the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory’ (Rom. 9:23).  The ‘vessels of mercy,’ those sinners whom God has chosen for salvation, continually receive outpourings of His mercy, like cups or bowls that are constantly refilled with water.

 

            “To meet the needs of every circumstance, God also multiplies His peace to believers—a peace that stems from knowing that their sins are forgiven.  Jesus comforted the apostles with these words, ‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful’ (John 14:27; cf. 16:33; Pss. 29:11; 85:8; 119:165; Isa. 9:7; 26:3; Luke 2:14; Rom. 5:1; 15:13; 1 Cor. 14:33; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15; 1 Thess. 5:23).

 

            “God further blesses believers with constant outpourings of His love.  Paul said, ‘The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5; cf. 8:39; John 16:27; 17:23; Eph. 2:4; 2 Thess. 2:16; 1 John 4:7-10). 

 

            “Clearly, God pours out His abundant blessing on those whom He calls, loves, and keeps.  Being His child includes infinite privilege and spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3).  But with those blessings comes great responsibility, a sobering subject to which Jude now turns.”

 

            Lord willing tomorrow we will begin looking at “Jude’s Exhortation” which is found in Jude 3.  “3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”  Jude is, in this verse setting that table of what the rest of his letter will be about.  I realize that this is a rather short letter, but there is much to look at in it.  I really had not planned to even study the book of Jude, but 2 Peter was what I wanted to study, however when I ordered this commentary on 2 Peter, Jude was also in it, and because I was looking at Jude from Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s commentary, which I had done much earlier I thought it best to go ahead and look at what John MacArthur had to say in this commentary.

 

7/9/2025 9:32 PM