ME
Open your bibles to the book of JUDE…if you don’t have a bible with you, the ushers will gladly hand you one.
[Ushers hand out bibles to any who need them]
We’re going to be looking at verses 17-25 today… We’re wrapping up this short series through the book of Jude and, refreshingly, Jude ends this rather intense letter on an UP NOTE!
In know that the last couple of weeks have been kind of heavy…but Jude comes down as a heavy on those who are damaging, even destroying, the church from the inside out….
He has no use for those who are a part of the church only for what they can get from it.
He has no use for those who only do what feels good.
He has no use for those who abuse and pervert the grace of Jesus
And his letter to the church is a very strong letter addressing those issues…
But he doesn’t leave it there…it wraps up by telling believers what it is that THEY have been called to…what it is that they can do stay alert and prevent such destruction from happening in the church and in their own lives…
Basically, he tells them that the best defense is a good offense.
The best way to avoid going down the wrong path, is to focus on going down the right path.
WE
Sometimes we get so busy worrying about what’s wrong that we forget to take the time and do what’s right! We focus on the defense rather than on the offense.
Too often, in life, we employ the Prevent Defense
The prevent defense is a football philosophy where the coach who is ahead simply backs off and focuses on not losing rather than on winning…it’s reactive rather than proactive…but that doesn’t work in life…
• You don’t work to avoid getting sick…you work to become healthy
(people who focus on not getting sick –get sick because that’s what they’re thinking about)
• You don’t work at protecting yourself against bad drivers…you focus on becoming a good driver, yourself.
(people who focus on avoiding bad drivers usually end up tangling with one because that’s where their focus is)
• You don’t cook a meal hoping that “it’s not bad.” You cook a meal attempting to make it good…
The best way to avoid what’s “bad” is to focus on what’s “good.”
That’s the POINT…the one thing I want you to walk out of here with today…when it comes to our faith, when it comes to our church, when it comes to avoiding sin, when it comes to our relationship with Jesus… the best defense is a good offense.
Jude closes this letter by giving the church some very practical steps they can take that will enable them to focus on what is right. They will be able to provide a strong “offense” which will serve as the greatest defense against those who would damage and wreck their faith…
GOD
17But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 17-25 (NIV)
Jude starts be reminding those who love and follow Jesus that the apostles had warned about such problems. They knew that there would be those who became a part of the church who didn’t truly follow Jesus. They knew that there would be those who laughed at the call to sacrifice, the call to unmerited love…they would simply be a part of the church because of what they could gain from it…and that their very presence would divide the unity of the church.
These are the people who do what their instincts tell them and not what the Holy Spirit tells them…and let me assure you that our instincts run counter to the Spirit.
• Our instincts say preserve your self interests…Jesus says surrender your self interests
• Our instincts say retaliate…Jesus says turn the other cheek
• Our instincts say – control behavior…Jesus say, transform hearts
• Our instincts say to do what feel right or good…Jesus says to do what IS RIGHT…even at great cost to yourself
• Our instincts say we should get our way…Jesus says deny yourself
• Our instincts say avoid pain…Jesus says be a sacrifice
I think you get the point. And there are many in our churches today who do what is natural, what feels right, what is instinctual rather than what Jesus – through the Holy Spirit – calls us to do.
And the apostles knew that this would happen it he church…God isn’t surprised.
But Jude doesn’t tell the church to put up walls and focus on what’s wrong so as to avoid it. He says that, in the face of such difficulty we are to focus on what’s right…but doing what Jesus calls us to do…by having a good offense…we automatically defend ourselves against what is opposed to the Kingdom…we have a good defense. The best defense is a good offense.
Here’s Jude’s playbook for having a strong offense…
• Build yourselves up in the most holy faith
This comes from reading, studying, learning knowing the WORD OF GOD…and it comes from pushing each other along in the faith. (Iron sharpens Iron)
- building requires work on our part. (we don’t work for our salvation, but we
build upon the foundation of faith that has already been laid for us) This means
we need to exercise effort…we need to be active in developing our faith
READ THE BIBLE
STUDY THE BIBLE
HOLD ONE ANOTHER ACCOUNTABLE
PARTICIPATING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
Too many of us make our faith a passive thing…we believe and then we let life happen. Jude says that we must be active, even aggressive, in building our faith. Building our faith is a positive focus…an offensive goal…that we can work toward. It strengthens our offense and the best defense is a good offense.
• Pray in the Spirit
This is more than a list of things I want and or need…this is important but it is only one element of a healthy prayer life.
This means that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray…because we don’t really know how…
the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
We don’t know how to pray because we are still controlled by our desires – by what feels good…so we ask for things that we don’t need or aren’t good for us…or we don’t ask for things that are as great as our Father wants to give to us…
Abby wanting all the junk toys for her birthday when we had bigger better things in store for her…
The Spirit helps us to pray for those things that we NEED TO PRAY FOR…
“Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven – it is getting God’s will done on earth.”
This can go along with building up your faith because we have to LEARN this…it takes consistent practice… But it’s worth the effort. It enables us to be strong and healthy in our relationship with Jesus (THROUGH HIS STRENGTH…NOT OURS) and that’s a great offensive weapon…and the best defense is a good offense.
• Keep Yourselves in God’s Love
God loved us…he reached out to us…he initiated contact…he initiated salvation…GOD chose to love us when we could not or would not love him…
Paul put it this way in Romans…
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
And Jude tells us that we are to “KEEP yourselves in God’s love.”
The word “keep” actually means that we are to GUARD that love. We are to protect it…we are to keep ourselves in the middle of God’s amazing love for us by not wandering outside of it…
…I want to be careful here because I don’t want to imply that we can do things to make God love us and do other things that will cause God to stop loving us.
--no matter what they do with their lives…I’m going to love my children. I’m their father, loving them is what I do. They don’t earn it. I don’t love them because they deserve it. I don’t love them more when they are good than I do when they are bad. –They’re my kids and I love them. Period
And that’s how God is with us…BUT just as we can do things to strain the relationship we have with our parents…we can also do things that damage the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father…He won’t love us any less…but we can do things that will cause OUR LOVE FOR HIM to fade…
The remedy is to REMAIN…KEEP OURSELVES…in his love.
Jesus put it this way
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
John 15:9-10 (NIV)
Jesus says that when we obey him, we REMAIN in his love. It’s not enough to tell Jesus we love him…we need to obey him. This is a matter of obedience…(talk about red letter Christians)
Our obedience SHOWS Jesus where our hearts are…and it helps us to stay in love with him…it’s for us, not for him…that he gave this command.
This is a POWERFUL offensive tool…and the best defense is a good offense.
• Be Merciful to those who Doubt
Grace to the believer who is faltering…gently restoring them
…being patient with those who have doubts…legit doubts…because many people – even within the church – have doubts and questions and we must be gentle, merciful and compassionate with them…covering them in prayer and
Jude isn’t talking about those who have come into the church and are destroying it…those who are only doing what feels good. He’s talking about those who are being influenced by these deceivers. He’s talking about those who are new to the faith and are trying to grow but have doubts and concerns. He’s talking about those who have questions…real questions…
Rather than condemn someone who has questions, we are to be merciful. How many times have we failed to show mercy to one who is struggling?
Paul tells Timothy that these people are to be “instructed gently…”
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
2 Timothy 2:23-25 (NIV)
When we have humility…we will be able to teach and correct others with gentleness and MERCY. Our lack of mercy comes from a lack of humility. When someone struggles we tend to look at their struggles and judge them against our progress or our standards…but when we do that we fail to compare ourselves to the standard set by Jesus…
When we recognize how HOLY Jesus is and how far we ALL are from it, we have a tendency to be more merciful towards those who are struggling. And what an amazing act of love…of having a good offense. Because when we love people and when we show mercy…we prevent the enemy from having the opportunity to drive a wedge in the church.
Again we see that the best defense is a good offense.
• Snatch/Save others from the fire (with caution)
Jude says that, not only will there be those who have doubts and who struggle…but there will be those who get caught up in sin and in false teaching and in sinful habits that will wreck their faith…Those we are to “Snatch & Save”
The words that Jude uses here are strong, aggressive words. Some people we need to be very active, very aggressive in RESCUING them from false teaching and wrong ideas that are damaging them, their faith and ultimately the church…we aren’t harsh…but we are firm and direct.
It’s not unlike an intervention.
(talk about A&E show – Intervention)
But we have to be careful in this as well. Jude says that we must do this with fear because we too can get caught up in sin…Paul says this about it in Galatians…
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV)
Again…mercy, gentleness, humility, compassion, PRAYER…all must go into this. And I think that far too often we allow others to slip into sin or to get caught up in wrong ideas, bad theology, bad habits that wreck their faith and we think…
…that’s their problem, not mine
…I don’t want to be labeled a busy-body…it’s none of my business
…Well, I knew they’d get it wrong eventually…
Whatever when what we are called to do is protect and defend each other. We have to quit worrying about hurting people’s feelings or being unpopular and do what Jesus commands us to do…save others from sin…
This is a great OFFENSIVE weapon against heresy…and the best defense is a good offense.
I realize that getting all of these at once is kind of like drinking from a fire hydrant…and I realize that we haven’t taken the time to DIG IN and go deep with these…maybe we can do that in another series sometime…so I would suggest that you take just one of them and begin to study it, practice it, apply it to your life and then move on to the next…BABY STEPS BOB…BABY STEPS…
Then, after laying out these intensely practical – if very challenging – steps for the believer to follow in defending their faith…this great offense that provides the best defense, Jude closes with one of the most beautiful benedictions in the New Testament.
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude gives praise to Jesus who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy
It is in the power of Jesus that we STAND FIRM
It is in the power of Jesus that we DON’T FALL
It is JESUS who presents us WITHOUT FAULT -- BLAMELESS
All of the great offensive tools we’ve just explored…all that we can do to defend the faith against attack from within and without…is made possible ONLY BY THE POWER AND PRESENCE OF JESUS IN OUR LIVES…
He says so much more here than we have the time to get into today. I could literally do a short series just on this closing because he does so much to describe who Jesus is…there’s great CHRISTOLOGY in this little passage.
Let me sum it up by saying this…JESUS and JESUS ALONE has the power to keep our faith strong…we need only to trust in him.
• He ALONE is GOD…JESUS is the GOD of the Bible…
• He ALONE is our SAVIOR…nothing but his sacrificial love (his death and resurrection) can save us from sin
• He is worthy of all majesty
• He is worthy of all glory
• He has all power
• He has all authority
• He has always been and he will always be…FOREVER
And this awesome, powerful, amazing, loving God of the universe offers himself to you and to me so that we can be in a right relationship with the FATHER…so we can know life at it’s fullest. So we can have peace. So we can have hope – for today and for eternity…all we have to do is accept the gift…
And that knowledge is an AMAZING offensive weapon… the best defense is a good offense.
SO WHAT
YOU
How do we unpack this?
As I said when we got started today…I think that sometimes we focus/worry to much about avoiding what is wrong and we don’t focus on what’s right. We look at how we can avoid falling down instead of working on how we can stand and move forward…
We focus on not getting sick rather than put our effort and energy into being healthy.
So let me ask you…is there just ONE of these practical steps that you need to focus on?
• Building your faith
• Praying in the Spirit
• Keeping yourself in God’s love – obedience
• Showing mercy to those who doubt
• Rescuing someone from sin and false teaching
Where do you need to start today? Which step do you need to focus on?
Maybe you just need to stop and focus on Jude’s benediction…maybe you need to just recognize that JESUS is God…
That his love for you cost him his life
That he is the savior
That he is worthy of praise and majesty
That he ALONE is GOD and offers you life at it’s best
WE
As we close today and take communion…let me challenge you to begin the process of BUILDING UP YOUR FAITH..
Becoming a passionate follower of Jesus doesn’t happen by accident…you must pursue it.
Just like any relationship you have requires work…it requires you to pursue the other’s heart…so it is with our relationship with Jesus…
Take positive…intentional action steps to build that relationship.
Let’s Pray
