When God promises that his church will be kept from defeat, his purpose is not that we lay down our sword and go to lunch, but that we pick up the sword of the Spirit and look confidently to God for the strength to fight and win. Earnestly Contending for the Faith. Verses 20–21: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep, yourselves in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude begins and ends the letter by assuring believers that God exerts his omnipotence to keep them from falling away from the faith. “certain persons have crept in unnoticed” (sounds like the church in America today). Today we often face people denying the authority of God and Jesus a. Early church leaders were concerned about false teachings and rightly so. It is not to help believers feel content, but to help them feel vigilant. This was an issue that couldn’t be ignored. Jude initially made every effort to write regarding the common salvation he shared with his readers. In verse 1 it describes us as "those who are, for Jesus Christ." God’s Sovereignty Trumps Elections, Deception, and Pandemics! There are some today who pervert the grace of God... a. Jude 3-4 cautions us to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. This tends to rattle many passionate Christians who insist that we contend for the faith. That generation died in the wilderness. WE MUST USE THE WEAPONS AT OUR DISPOSAL... 1. This country sure... David Fiorazo: Thanks so much, DeAngelo! Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim Myers. (We are citizens of heaven!). Christians are called out of the world, from the evil spirit and temper of it; called above the world, to higher and better things, to heaven, things unseen and eternal; called from sin to Christ, from vanity to seriousness, from uncleanness to holiness; “Beloved” by God – He loves all mankind, but there is an unconditional love toward His children, those who believe and are now set apart from the world because of their status in the kingdom. Thankfully, Jude gave us a detailed letter and an example to follow as to how to recognize and deal with false teachers and apostates who come against the Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal truths of Scripture. This faith is worth contending for. Save others; have mercy with fear – those who have bought into false teachings or following apostates need immediate attention and rescue. Vs 17. Peter warned in advance about the coming of false teachers, while Jude wrote about their presence within the early church. 4. Notice, in verse 1 we are, for Jesus Christ. Vs 16. Linda Edmonds: We need our President or known Christian leader to... David Fiorazo: I appreciate the kind words, JP. Thus the Scriptures, which contain the faith delivered "once for all", contains all we need to become what God wants of us! In the first century Jude instructed the church to contend. This carries the idea of infiltration and note this happened just decades after the resurrection. Vs 14. Many Christians don’t contend for the faith because they don’t know why they should. We are taught the manner in which we are to contend. Wednesday. Vs 13. Thus, we must be obedient to it as it is written. Some unique descriptors are used for false teachers: clouds without water, trees without fruit, and wandering stars “for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude issues a call to remember the words of the apostles, and look expectantly for the return of Christ. The main point of this little book of Jude is verse 3. “licentiousness” means unrestrained vice or gross immorality; how dangerous it is to think we have a license to sin because God is a loving, forgiving God. 31 Therefore be on the alert; ACTS 20:29-31. Vs 11. Jude also alludes to nine different illustrations from the Old Testament. “Discernment is not a matter of knowing the difference between right and wrong. In other words the assured victory of the believing church does not mean that we don't have to fight to win. We. But those who "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered"... a. It is our objective to … Notice right from the start, Jude refers to himself humbly as a bond-servant, meaning he submitted to the Lordship of Christ. 3. In 1 Corinthians 15:7, we know that Jesus appeared to James! Its root word is the word from which we get our English word, agonize. You can probably think of a few popular leaders today who fit this profile. This is a cancer in the church where believers who may have started out sincere now mock the spirit of grace. SOME WILL PERVERT THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE... 1. Jude’s closing doxology returned to the theme of salvation which he hoped to write about (as stated in the first few verses), encourages believers regarding Christ’s protection from apostasy and ultimate deliverance, and reinforces the doctrine of Jesus’ deity, authority, and sovereignty. Though Jude intended to write about the salvation believers in Christ share, he was compelled to warn Christians to contend for the faith against ungodly men, false teachers: Galatians 5:7-9, Revelation 3:11, 20; Rev. Now in leadership positions, deceivers have crept in and slithered through American denominations infecting countless victims. Like a warrior entrusted with a crucial task, our defending and contending for the faith is serious, urgent business. That's the way Jude begins and ends his letter. C. SOME WILL DENY GOD'S AUTHORITY... 1. “Apostasy” simply means a departure from the true, biblical faith of Christ. All three verbs are passive. Those who have received the truth must contend for it, as the apostles did; by suffering with patience and courage for it, not by making others suffer if they will not embrace every notion we call faith, or important. THE "NEED" TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH. By their lack of respect to the Word of God b. This established some credibility for Jude right up front. This faith is repeatedly threatened from within the church. Keep yourselves in God’s love; waiting expectantly – a call to remain in obedience to God (Jesus said if we love Him we’ll keep His commandments), and waiting anxiously refers to eager anticipation of Christ’s return to usher in the reality and final outcome of our faith: eternal life. Proclaim – our common salvation (common – koinos; belonging to several) a. How much easier, then, for this to happen today when we live in time far removed from those initial warnings! 13:11, Hebrews 13:8, Galatians 5:7-9, Revelation 3:11, 20; Rev. Church of Determination ( Acts 2 : 46 - 47 ) do you know for a fact that if you were to ... must hear sermon on hell by pastor charles lawson: what does the bible say about abortion? The expression "once for all" can rightly be worded "one time for all time" b. Our commitment to Christ and His Church requires taking firm strenuous action whenever such action is needed. 3. be glory." Traits of an Apostate: (Verse ref. "THE EPISTLE OF JUDE" Contending Earnestly For The Faith (3-4) INTRODUCTION 1. All three verbs are passive. There are many who would attempt to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. On some, believers are warned not to be influenced (polluted) by their sinful lifestyles during interactions. And Preserved! Text: Jude 3,4 False teachings can bring untold misery and destruction, not just in the present life but for eternity. -- If we have "all things", and if we have the "whole counsel of God", what else is there? that is why we call him lord. 2. First, what is “the faith” to which Jude refers? “judgment… great day” – refers to the final judgment. 1) Paul describes the nature of our warfare in, . Preparing to Contend for the Faith. Vs 7. 1. (2) Remember the Teaching and Warning of the Apostles (v.17) Eph. The vivid expression epagonizomai (Gk.) Jude reminds us that God saved the Jews out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who refused to believe. This sermon is expository in style, you will have to open, and keep open, your Bible to get full benefit. -- We must therefore contend with vigor, even to the point of agony, for "the faith once delivered to the saints"! Grumblers, finding fault, speak arrogantly, flattering people – those who murmur, vent their disapproval of God’s ways, their words have little or no spiritual or eternal value, lacking substance, they tell people what they want to hear – not what they need to hear = truth in context from Scripture. And so I want to make it the main point of my message, namely, it is the duty of every genuine believer to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. The simple verb agonizomai first meant to compete in an athletic contest, and … This Conference is not just for clergy. Michael the archangel (chief angel of God) that watches over Israel, leader of the holy angels (also mentioned in Daniel 10 re: spiritual warfare), Vs. 10 – “these men revile things they do not understand…” They are “unreasoning animals.”, Note: the devil, aka Satan = accuser or slanderer. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Trinity Baptist Temple, Middletown, OH Download the ASCII text version of this sermon . b. You should say something like this: "God has called me out of unbelief. ", 2. That is, "the faith" (that body of doctrine which we are to believe) was delivered to the church "one time for all time" -- Revelation was not to be repeated, nor was there more to be revealed later on! SOME WILL DENY THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES... 1. That such could happen, despite the many warnings given by Jesus, Paul, and Peter b. It is believed by the time Jude wrote this epistle that all of the other apostles except John had already been martyred. There is a faith once for all delivered to the saints. – “But you…” Building yourselves up – since Christ is the cornerstone of our faith we have a sure foundation to build on. The term is associated with strife and combat of a most vigorous and determined variety. Sanctified! 3. Wherever the promised security of God is used to justify going AWOL, we may suspect there is a traitor in the ranks. What could have caused these men to go from skeptics to bold disciples of Jesus Christ, and eventually martyrs for the faith? Finally, Jude reminds us that it had been “delivered” to the saints—passed on from the disciples to the next generation in the church. The word earnestly is added to as a qualifier for how we are to contend for hte faith. Four reasons the book of Jude was included in the Canon (A.D. 170): due to his being related to Jesus, the fact Jude was an eye-witness of the resurrected Christ, the inspired content of the letter, and Clement of Rome (A.D. 96) supported Jude as authentic. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 2 Peter 2:1-2. Jude was in the process of planning a correspondence—or perhaps actually writing—to his fellow Christians concerning their common salvation. The Christian faith cannot change. The title of this message was 'EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH.' Vs 15. Dr. Alan Cairns Earnestly Contend for Faith 1. Called! But it is a call to vigorously contend with all the weapons at our disposal... a. Then at the end of his letter in verse 24 he says, "Now to him who is, you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God . By their setting up other standards of authority for what they believe or do 1) Such as a synod, convention, council 2) Such as a pope, bishop, minister, or their own person 3. Christ is the only way to the Father. One trait of an apostate is they mock or revile things they don’t understand, such as Creation, the mystery of the incarnation, the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, and other spiritual truths. us from falling. Deceivers and false teachers have infiltrated the ranks and are leading many astray. “saving people…destroyed those who did not believe” – is not only historical but prophetic about the end times. Vs 6. c. The present tense of the verb indicates that the Christian struggle is to be continuous. Jude says “Woe to them!”. That many are not obeying Christ as Lord b. God preserves the believer and secures us for eternal life. kept. EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH: LISTEN TO THE KING JAMES BIBLE BY ALEXANDER SCOURBY. We know that James not only wrote the letter bearing his name, but he was the leader of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), a pillar in the church! Nothing new under the sun! Vs 12. Sermon Notes. *False teachers, and false religions pervert what Scripture declares is true about the Lord Jesus Christ. We should understand "the how" when it comes to contending earnestly for the faith [In this study, "Contending Earnestly For The Faith", it is "the need" and "the how" that we examine more closely...]. (“there is no hell”). Rebellion of Korah – Korah, being a Levite, had duties in the tabernacle of God, but he rebelled against the authority of Aaron’s priesthood; he and 250 Jewish leaders rejected God’s anointed leadership of Moses and Aaron and as a result, came under divine judgment. To live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age! Bible Study: 7:00 PM Youth Program: 7:00 PM Masters Club: 7:00 PM Message was 'EARNESTLY contend for the faith ( 3-4 ) Jude 's day `` who turn grace! 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