The Faith Once Delivered

Jude 3–4

Good morning. Today we are going to begin a new tradition here at GBF for our fifth Sunday services. We have done a special communion service on fifth sundays for a very long time now, and this morning we are going to start what we are calling Creedal Sunday. Now this is not in any way to take away from our focus on the Lord’s Supper that we would normally have on a fifth sunday.

Over the past couple of years I have been working through historical church issues. Really a big question I had concerned the ordering of the sunday morning service, and in particular the placement of the Lord’s Supper and the role that the Creeds would play in a service. Now if you don’t know what a creed is yet, i’ll get to that.

But I read a lot and found that the Lord’s Supper has always been at the center of the discussion. Particularly the purpose of it and who can participate in it.

Now just to skip to the end, the Lord’s Supper, as we say every week is for believers. People who have placed their faith in Christ and are able to examine themselves and think through the implications of the gospel.

Throughout church history the church has come to different conclusions on how best to do what they call “fencing the table.” Imagine if you will an invisible fence around the Lord’s Table that allows repentant, confessing, Christians to take and eat.

In the reformation, some churches would have communion once a month and the church would let people know they had one week to come and explain to the pastor the gospel so that they would be permitted to the table.

On the other hand some churches do not even give instructions. We’ve always chosen to fence the table by explaining what it is and who can take it. Communion is one of the primary things withheld from those under church discipline, because by their lack of repentance they are in essence saying, “we are not in communion with God and his people.”

Well throughout church history, just to get to the point, the primary tool that has been used to fence the table is the use of the Creeds. There are a few creeds, the NCC takes us through the Apostolic Creed, there is the Athanasian Creed which is much longer. But we are coming up on the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, and that is what we’ll be using today. These fifth sundays will be sundays where we work to equip you concerning the core truths of the faith.

At the end here I will ask you to stand, and if you are a bible believing Christian, we will recite the words of the Nicene Creed together. Those who are able to confess these truths with their lips are invited to take the Lord’s Supper with us.

Turn with me to Jude 3-4. Read

Why is it that we are always concerned with doctrine? Can’t we all just get along? Doctrine divides, we should all come together. Maybe you’ve heard people say these things. Maybe you’ve said these things.

Well if we were talking about petty things that didn’t matter, i would agree with you. We argue about things all the time that just don’t matter, really. But not doctrine. Doctrine matters.

Now this is why Jude is writing. Notice here I want you to see this in the text who it is that is to contend for the faith.

Do you ever think of yourself as a theologian? Well you are! Ligon Duncan said there are only two types of theologians in the world, good ones and bad ones. You are a theologian.

See Jude doesn’t write to the elders of the church. He writes to the called ones. That’s you and me both if we are in Christ. ‘Called ones’ is the way the prophets would often speak of believers. Believers who have been called out of this dark world and into his marvelous light. So that means these verses here are for you.

Now its my job as a pastor to equip the saints. So I’m here this morning to help you become good theologians.

So look here the way that he describes our faith. He isn’t talking about faith, as in the act of believing, or the process whereby we believe. He puts an article in front of the word, he calls it The Faith. He’s talking about a particular thing. And he’s talking about a singular thing.

He says that he is writing to us to appeal to us that we would be contending for the faith once for all delivered.

It is necessary for us to know what we believe. Now why is that necessary? Because this faith was once for all delivered. What he means by this is that THE faith, THE truth, was hand delivered to us.

One time a lady, in all sincerity, told me that the details don’t matter. Just Jesus Loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so. This is what she told me. Now I know this lady loves Jesus, and I know she was completely sincere when she told me this. But I said to her, “Ma’am, which Jesus loves you? How did he love you? How do you know? What does the bible have to do with that knowledge?”

I meet people every day who “love jesus.” Sometimes hes a good man, sometimes hes a prophet, sometimes hes a universal ideal.

No understand THE faith that was once delivered is a singular message.

The Bible teaches us that there are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. If you don’t believe that, you do not have salvation.

The Bible teaches that the second person, the Son, added to himself a human nature and was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life in our place, died a substitutionary death on our behalf in our place. Was buried, and was raised on the third day. He appeared to many, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. If you do not believe this you don’t have salvation.

This God sent his Holy Spirit to indwell believers and give us life. The is one holy, (catholic) universal, church, over which Jesus reigns. And through being spiritually baptised into Christ our sins are forgiven. And that we will be raised from the dead with Christ to enter into the new world. If you don’t believe this you do not have salvation.

Now I know, that sounds very narrow minded of me, especially in a day and age like ours. But this is the faith once delivered. This is of our Christ once delivered up for us. See our contending for the faith is not to decided who can be in and who can be out, but rather to get the only message that can saved people from their sins right!

What good is it if we go out to a lost world and preach a false gospel? We’ve done nothing but give people a false hope. We cannot rely on our own thoughts about things, we can’t operate according to our own feelings about the world, we must be a people governed and equipped with the only gospel that can save!

And it is a good, open to all, freeing gospel. Contend for it, Care about the truth. Cling to the truth. Believe the truth. Be savvy enough about the truth that you can tell a false teacher from a faithful prophet. Stick close to the Bible. Stick close to God’s word. Stick close to Jesus Christ.’ He’s saying all those things to us. And that word is just as fresh today as when Jude spoke it.