KBM Contend Earnestly For The Faith
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to be looking at a biblical topic that has fallen out of appreciation in many of our churches during our modern times, but certainly is not new to it. That topic is found within our title for this episode, “Contend Earnestly For The Faith.” This, of course, comes from Jude 3 which reads…
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Every faithful child of God would love nothing more than to write, teach, and preach about our common salvation but the reality is we as humans can easily start to seek after doctrines that agree with our desires rather than God’s word. This is why preaching the truth no matter what the “people want to hear” will always please God, but not always man.
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
Where sound preaching and teaching happens, as Paul points out, some still will “not endure sound doctrine” but there is a far better chance for the congregation as a whole if we “content earnestly for the faith” by “preaching and teaching the truth whether they want to hear it or not.”
Because that preaching and teaching is from God and only that which comes from God can save both those teaching and those listening.
16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Whether you are surrounded by those that love the truth or surrounded by those that hate the truth, teach the word of truth and seek to please God always.