Jude 1:17-23
¡§Contend for the faith¡¨
¡§People who follow Christ must embrace truth.¡¨
Sunday Morning Sermon ¡V
After receiving a nasty letter a preacher sent it back to the church member with this note attached: "The enclosed letter came to me a few days ago. I am sending it to you because I think you should know that some idiot is sending out letters with your signature on them."
While an estimated 74 percent of Americans strongly agree that "there is only one true God, who is holy and perfect, and who created the world and rules it today," an estimated 65 percent either strongly agree or somewhat agree with the assertion that "there is no such thing as absolute truth."
The drunk husband snuck up the stairs quietly. He looked in the bathroom mirror and bandaged the bumps and bruises he’d received in a fight earlier that night. He then proceeded to climb into bed, smiling at the thought that he’d pulled one over on his wife.
When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his wife. "You were drunk last night weren’t you!"
"No, honey."
"Well, if you weren’t, then who put all the band-aids on the bathroom mirror?"
Discussion:
The Church, Christians, People who follow Christ ¡V we must embrace truth. How do we embrace the truth? For that matter our world screams ¡V ¡§WHAT IS TRUTH?¡¨ The world says, ¡§what¡¦s true for you might not be true for me.¡¨ Unfortunately, when that happens all desire to grow is turned off and all ability to change is tuned out. If you get nothing else this morning ¡V there is absolute truth, and as a Christian you should know what it is.
Turn with me this morning to our text ¡V Jude 1:17-23 (Advance)
Jude is the brother of James who is also the brother of Jesus. At the beginning, in verse 1 he simply introduces himself as the brother of James. He is writing to the church about men who were traveling around who were teaching wrong things about God and what Jude says in Verse 4 ¡V they changed the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. They believed that you couldn¡¦t receive God¡¦s grace unless you sin, the greater your sin the greater God¡¦s grace. Instead of calling people to repentance and into the loving arms of God ¡V they denied Christ, as both sovereign and lord. The author here is telling the church to embrace truth.
So how do we embrace the truth? As the body of Christ ¡V how do we embrace truth, and still embrace those who don¡¦t see it. We have to face the facts all of us, myself included have people in our families who are ¡V for lack of a better way to say it ¡V are less than dedicated. Well, they are dedicated but to the wrong things. Jude is going to give us some advice on how we can do this.
First he says: (Advance)
I. You Must Remember (17-19)
a. What the apostles foretold
i. Exaltation ¡V It wasn¡¦t all gloom and doom
Peter would understand that we are currently living in the last days. He quoted the prophet Joel ¡V He says ¡V (Advance) ¡§I (meaning God) will pour out my spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.¡¨ That time has come. We have the written words of God and Christ, most come in a leather bound edition. We aren¡¦t dependent on dreams or visions or a different coming of the spirit ¡V he¡¦s already here.
ii. Warning ¡V Be Prepared
If we are truly living in the last days ¡V we should be prepared. We should seek to prepare others.
1. There will be scoffers ¡V people who mock you (Advance)
2 Peter 3:3 ¡V First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
2. There will be times of trials ¡V
a. We haven¡¦t seen the last of the anti-god, anti-church movement in this country.
b. Men will divide you
In fact the church Jude was writing was in deep with following certain men. They were already being divided. They were already following the wrong men. They weren¡¦t aware that these men ¡V although they appeared to be from God, they appeared to be full of the spirit ¡V Jude says ¡V ¡§They don¡¦t have the spirit.¡¨
i. They follow natural instincts.
Is it all bad if they are just following ¡§natural instincts?¡¨ Like a sports star when they have the chance to tie up the game in the last seconds ¡V aren¡¦t they just following natural instincts? If they are ¡V is it all bad? The NIV says ¡§Natural Instincts¡¨ ¡V the literal translation says ¡§Ungodly.¡¨ Paul makes it clear in: (Advance) 1 Corinthians 2:14 ¡VThe man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
This doesn¡¦t mean that God is some how keeping them from understanding the Bible or something trivial like that. It means that they keep themselves from understanding the things of God. They have no power in their life ¡V because according to Paul in Romans the power of God is in the gospel for the salvation of all men.
Jude is calling the church to remember ¡V not because they were good at it, but because they needed to change. They needed to set things straight ¡V not follow the traditions of men, but the ways of God. We need to do the same.
c. We shouldn¡¦t let anything divide us
i. We are greater together than we¡¦ll ever be apart
ii. We must keep our eyes open to the tactics that the devil uses against us ¡V
1. Our own ungodly desires
2. Our selfishness
3. Our desire to seek only what we want
Sometimes our selfish desires, or our desire to lean on experience will cause us to do things that are ungodly, in the name of God. What would cause a young woman, a graduate of a law school, a future professional and leader in her community, a role model for young women around her. What would cause a woman like that to strap on a bomb and kill 20 people and herself? We don¡¦t see that as having anything to do with scripture or the gospel, or God. But, she did. The scary thing is ¡V other young women and men are willing to do the same ¡V all because of experience. This young lady that I am speaking of, her brother and her cousin were both killed in front of her. She sees something almost Godly in killing another human. It¡¦s amazing how quickly we get to murder from simple false doctrine and false teachers.
Jude is encouraging the churches to remember the gospel message. Paul says that he resolved to preach nothing but Christ on the cross. He says it¡¦s the message of foolishness to those who are perishing. But to those who believe it is the power of God.
Jude tells us in verses 20-21 that we must not only remember but we must: (Advance)
II. Build Our Faith (20-21)
Have you ever been to a movie and at the end of the movie they leave it open for a sequel? They are going to build on what they have shown you. That¡¦s the idea ¡V just as the movie industry builds on a foundation (which is the first movie) we are to build on our foundation (which is Christ). Moving forward in our relationship with Christ is the idea behind here. ¡V Some of us have: (Advance)
a. Stale faith
i. Some of us aren¡¦t building ¡V we¡¦ve lost contact with the contractor
1. We¡¦ve laid down the gloves for a more convenient day
2. Maybe we¡¦ve grown weary of the work ¡V so we quit
3. Maybe we were working hard ¡V but couldn¡¦t see an end in sight ¡V we justify it by saying we need a break.
4. Your prayer life is stale ¡V you pray at the red light, and before meals but there is no intimate conversation between you and God. There is no communication between you and you savior.
I want to encourage you in the love of Christ. You need to get back and start building again. The biggest difference between God and man ¡V God forgets, he completely forgives. He doesn¡¦t care where you have been, he cares where you are, and what you are, and what you are doing with the blessings you have. He desires that you live life to the fullest ¡V and that¡¦s only done through him. (Advance)
b. Continuous faith
Some here this morning are working towards building themselves in faith. I can see the work that you are doing ¡V more importantly God can see the work that you do.
i. Your prayer lives are an inspiration
ii. Your love for others is a wonderful witness to Christ
iii. Your humility and the ability to be lead, even though you are in a position of leadership is excellent and Godly.
iv. The encouragement that you share is ¡V for lack of a better word ¡V Awesome.
v. You pick up the gloves and are willing to do anything ¡V
My encouragement this morning to you ¡V keep up the good work. God is receiving honor and glory and praise because of your effort. You are living out what Paul says in Col.
(Advance)
Colossians 2:6-8 ¡V So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Advance)
c. Keep yourself in God¡¦s Love (Advance)
i. Through Obedience ¡V not only to him but to those he ordains for leadership. (Advance)
ii. Through Service ¡V you aren¡¦t saved by works ¡V that¡¦s not what I mean ¡V but the Bible clearly states that your works are a reflection of your faith ¡V or the lack of faith. (Advance)
1 Corinthians 12:4 ¡V There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
(Advance)
Ephesians 4:11-13 ¡V It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Advance)
iii. Through Patience ¡V Jude says that we will wait for mercy to bring us into eternal life.
1. We live in a very impatient world. We could blame it on fast food restaurants ¡V Microwaves, Cell phones.
Church, we have to be patient when it comes to God. We make a mistake thinking that God is somehow affected by the clock we designed. He¡¦s the one who knows everything and not us. We should be patient and trust, when nothing makes sense we can trust, when we lose all hope ¡V we can trust. He is worthy of your trust, no matter how hard it is to give it to him ¡V he alone is worthy. (Advance)
iv. Through Victory ¡V Don¡¦t you know it will be a victory when he does bring you into eternal life?
When the cares of this life are over. When we are safely in his loving arms. ¡V That¡¦s victory. Fortunally, that victory doesn¡¦t just go with you, but continues on ¡V People left behind want to share in that as well, and it affects them. We can continue in our faith, and build our faith because of the victory he has promised.
The first two are points of encouragement giving to the church for themselves. It¡¦s internal. If you study and remember those things the apostles said ¡V it will build your faith. The third is directed towards unbelievers.
We are past the hot weather. In Oklahoma we¡¦d have really hot days. I remember when dad would get the water hose (it didn¡¦t take much to entertain us) ¡V he would get the water hose, turn it on full blast and spray us. So how do you hit three squirmy kids with one stream of water. You place your finger over part of the opening, and it makes the water spray. For us as a church to be effective ¡V we must take the spiritual water hose and make the spiritual water go far. He tells us ¡V the church ¡V that we should: (Advance)
III. Be Merciful (22-23)
The word Mercy appears 29 times in the book of Psalms. It¡¦s interesting to me that we serve a merciful God. That no matter how good I am, no matter how wonderful everyone thinks I am, no matter the victories I have or the success stories I can tell ¡V I still need God¡¦s mercy. I stand before God ¡V I am worthy of hell. We serve a holy God, and as much as I try to be holy I am not. I fall short, I fail, I miss the mark. This word mercy speaks of mercy from you to me, from me to you, from us to those who aren¡¦t here. It is God¡¦s mercy but it¡¦s shown through his people.
a. To those who doubt
i. What is doubt? (Advance)
A ¡§hard line¡¨ definition is: ¡§A lack of trust in the act of which God has still yet to perform and which men are to wait.¡¨ It¡¦s also defined as ¡§a lack of trust in the Spirit.¡¨
1. A lack of trust
How do we overcome the doubt that others have?
2. We can scold them
a. Tell them to straighten up and fly right
3. We can give them exhausting answers about the resurrection, about doctrine, about salvation
a. Use words like Perpetuation, Supplication, Sanctification, Justification
Jude has a different method. He says ¡V Be merciful.
Jesus said: (Advance)
Matthew 5:7 ¡V Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
ii. We are merciful
1. Because we have been shown mercy
2. Because we need mercy
3. Because we have been given an example of mercy by our merciful God, in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament.
Should we change the gospel message or water down the message so that everyone who needs to change only receives a warm fuzzy feeling? NO. The Bible is described as a sword. It¡¦s not a pillow ¡V it¡¦s a sword. It¡¦s meant to change, and convict, and draw people to repentance.
b. Hell is real ¡V (Advance)
i. We like to make believe that it¡¦s not ¡V
1. the devil with little horns
2. A pitch fork, long tail¡K.
The Bible describes hell as a lake of burning sulfur, a lake of fire. The Bible says that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Eternal suffering. It¡¦s easy for me to understand the world not believing in Hell ¡V but how much of the church actually believes that there is a place like hell? If we do ¡V why don¡¦t we do something about it?
ii. Snatch others and save them
Have you ever dropped something and picked it up before it crashed to the floor and shattered? That¡¦s the same thing as this word ¡§Snatched¡¨. Zechariah says that man is a burning stick ¡§snatched¡¨ from the fire.
Hell wasn¡¦t created for men. God didn¡¦t create this system where he said, the good people go to heaven and ¡¥I need a place to send the bad ones, so I will create this eternal punishment and they will burn to death for the rest of their lives.¡¦ ¡V that¡¦s not at all what God said. Hell wasn¡¦t created for us ¡V it was created for the devil and his angels, because of rebellion. Paul says in Ephesians: (Advance)
Ephesians 1:4 ¡V For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
We were created to be with God forever. You go to hell ¡V you are going to be someplace that wasn¡¦t created for you. You know people who aren¡¦t dedicated, who aren¡¦t where they are suppose to be in their lives ¡V ¡§Snatch them from the fire¡¨ ¡V remove the doubt, and lack of hope from their lives. If you love them ¡V you will make the effort to change their relationship with Jesus. God has given you mercy ¡V give the mercy to someone else. Don¡¦t just keep it to yourself. (Advance) „³ Blank
Conclusion:
We can no longer afford the lack of commitment to Christ. Our world is changing, the family structure is changing, the church (on a broader scale) is changing. Those changes aren¡¦t good. The world will tell you that you are extreme and intolerant if you stand up for what you believe. Get use to the words ¡§right wing¡¨ activist if you are going to make known to the world what you believe and why. Get ready to make decisions ¡V choices that hurt, choices that aren¡¦t popular with culture if you are going to follow Christ. Get ready to stand for truth, when the world doesn¡¦t. You believe in Christ ¡V The world will tell you, your beliefs are out of date, out of touch. We must be all the way with this or go home. We must choose Christ for ourselves and our families, our loved ones. We can¡¦t ride the fence on this. We are either Christian, 100% sold out to Jesus Christ or we are not. Jesus tells a church in Revelation 3:15-16 ¡V ¡§I wish you were one way or the other.¡¨ Are you riding the fence this morning? Are you one person when people are around, and someone else when no one is watching?
If you need to repent and renew your relationship with Christ ¡V he is waiting. He is patient with you, and willing to give you mercy. Come this morning as we stand and sing.
