Contend for the Faith

Introduction: "God is dead" is a widely quoted statement made by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche used the phrase to express his idea that the Enlightenment had eliminated the possibility of the existence of God. He made this statement around 1882 and as a result we are all atheists. Whether or not the possibility of God continued past the enlightenment man’s need for God has not changed.

Greeting

Author

Jude

There are six men in the NT named Jude or Judas.

The most likely candidate is that this is Jude the brother of Jesus.

Servant of Jesus - bondslave

Humility - he didn’t put that Jesus was his brother on his resume.

He viewed his spiritual relation to Christ as more important than his physical relation to Christ.

How are you related to Christ?

Do you know Jesus or do you know about Jesus?

Do you hide behind years of church attendance or academic knowledge to cover for a relationship with Jesus that is virtually nonexistent?

When Jude introduced himself the most important thing he felt to communicate about himself was that he was a slave of Christ.

Maybe we should start signing our emails that way, instead of cordially yours we should slaves of Christ.

Audience - Who is Jude addressing; how does he identify them? Two groups of three in verses 1 & 2.

Called

What does it mean to be called?

Biblical examples

God called Abram to a land that was not his own.

God called Aaron to a role of priestly service

God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests

God called Paul to be an apostle

Jonah was called but refused

Who does God call? - Those that are His.

We are called to salvation

We are called to sanctification

We are called to service

Loved

Though the KJV uses preserved by God the Father the better translation here is “beloved in God the Father.”

Love is the product of being rightly related to God.

Preserved

1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

You are not only saved by God your salvation is preserved by God.

If I could lose my salvation I know that I would.

“Being kept for Jesus Christ” means that God throughout this life exercises his power on behalf of Christians to preserve them spiritually intact until the coming of Jesus Christ in glory. Believers have much to go through in this life: temptations, trials, and onslaughts from Satan and his minions. But God promises to watch over us at every moment, keeping us safe for Christ’s sake. Not, of course, that God’s preserving power means we can just relax and leave it all to him. Note how Jude beautifully comes back to this same idea at the end of the letter: “But keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (v. 21). God “keeps” us, but we must also “keep” ourselves.

Authority

The final point of Jude’s greeting is the authority upon which we are called, sanctified and preserved.

We are beloved in God and kept for Christ.

Application

As you consider who Jude is writing to I hope that it makes you want to raise your hand and say that, that's me!

If you are not sure that is you then we need to talk.

Prayer

Mercy

Definition: compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power

How often do we need mercy? Daily, when you wake up and you realize that God is still God and you are still you that is when you should ask for a new helping of grace and mercy.

Peace

Peace is mentioned or implied over four hundred times in Scripture.

Peace is something that everyone is looking for yet many never find it.

Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Love

I have often defined love as “always doing what is best for the object of your affection.”

The Scriptures declare that God is love or that love is of God.

What does that mean?

Consider 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

The reason that love is those things is because God is those things. It is his character that sets the definition of what love is.

Application

How many of you would be willing to say that you need more mercy, peace and love of God in your life?

By verse 2 I feel like Jude gets me.

Exhortation

Desire

Note what Jude wanted to write about, “our common salvation.”

He wanted to rejoice together with those whom he held Christ in common.

That is so much of what brings us together. Our Sunday morning gatherings are not just a random collection of people there is at least one thing that we hold in common and it is literally the most important thing about us, that is our faith in Jesus Christ.

Necessity

Instead he found it necessary to exhort them to contend for the faith.

What does it mean to contend for the faith?

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

It means that we do not just sit back and let others define for us who we are.

When the pastor of the largest church in a America goes on Larry King and declares that Jesus may not be the only way to God then it is our responsibility to contend for the faith and say no! That is not us that is not what the Bible teaches.

When people like Bart Errman make claims about the reliability of Scripture that greatly erodes peoples confidence in them we must content for the faith.

When the world tries to redefine what a family is, what a man is or what a woman is or what their roles in the family and society are we must contend for the faith by declaring what God has said those things are.

But perhaps most importantly and where we should spend most of our time we contend for the faith by simply telling others who Jesus is and what He did for them. We contend for the faith with the gospel.

Other thoughts on contending for the faith

It does not mean that you are looking for a fight

Jude didn’t set out to discuss this subject, but he found it necessary.

If you sort of salivate at the thought of the argumentation of it all then you probably are not contending for the faith properly.

Secondly, it is imperative.

Jude wanted to discuss our common salvation, but he found it necessary to exhort the saints to contend for the faith.

It is not a secondary issue it is primary. Especially, when it is the gospel itself that is under attack.

Explanation

Impostors

Why did Jude find it necessary to switch topics? From our common salvation to contending for the faith.

Impostors have crept in.

Identity

Marked for condemnation - Their condemnation has been established

Ungodly

Transform grace into a license for immorality

Deny the Lord Jesus Christ