Jude 1-3: Anchored To Contend
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
PLEASE STAND AND READ WITH ME THE WORD OF THE LORD TO US TODAY.
PLEASE STAND AND READ WITH ME THE WORD OF THE LORD TO US TODAY.
3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. 4 For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
Douglas MacArthur said,
“Beware not of the enemy from without but the enemy from within”.
African Proverb
“When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm.”
TODAY WE BEGIN A 4 WEEK SERIES THROUGH THE BOOK OF JUDE.
Jude is a book about contending for the True Faith and contending against False teachers who promote lies intended by the enemy to divide the Church and to pull away the most vulnerable from Jesus.
MUCH LIKE OUR TIME JUDE IS WRITTEN TO A PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF THE FAITH BUT IN THAT GROWTH HAS COME WOLVES WHO HAVE COME IN STEALTH LIKE SHEEP.
THE CALL OF JUDE TO THE CHURCH IS, CONTEND FOR THE FAITH THAT WAS DELIVERED TO THE SAINT ONCE AND FOR ALL!
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False Prophets and Heresy the first Church had to Contend Against.
Antinomianism - The Abuse of grace to justify immorality.
2. Docetism - Denial of Christ’s true humanity. Teaching, Jesus only appeared to be Human. Greek word “Dokeo - to seem”
3. Proto - Gnostic Speculation - Early dualism, material is evil, spirit is good, salvation comes through esoteric knowledge (Secret knowledge), Christ imparts esoteric truth not a sacrifice. You are all gods who need to escape the chains of materialism, enlightenment is the means to salvation.
4. Denial of Bodily Resurrection of Jesus and the saints. Greek thought tied to Gnostic ideas. There is no bodily resurrection only a spiritual resurrection which took place in Jesus. All those in Christ are now fully resurrected spiritually.
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TODAY WE FACE A SIMILAR THREAT TO THE CHURCH.
TODAY WE FACE A SIMILAR THREAT TO THE CHURCH.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - God is a cosmic therapist, Faith is about feeling good about yourself not repentance or the Lordship of Christ. Sin is redefined as “Broken” and Jesus is a life coach.
Universal Pluralism - All religions lead to God / Hell is only symbolic / Jesus is not the exclusive path to God.
Affirmation Theology - Affirming what the Bible calls sin - LGBTQ - Scripture is to be understood through cultural expereince rather than understanding cultural expereince through Scripture.
Critical Theory Hermeneutic - Reading scripture through the lens of power, oppression, and identity/. Truth is relative to group expereince. This is seen on both sides of the political sphere and is pushed by politicians, pastors, and Podcast Hosts.
Legalism 2.0 - Political loyalty tests, abstinence even in marriage unless you are making a child, dress codes - all as evidence of Holiness.
Tribalism - Jesus is associated with my Tribe of people, often political and racial. Believers are defined by their faith and loyalty to the tribe. Tribes can be centered on political parties and as small as a Podcast Host.
Either turning the Grace of God into a license for immorality or Deny Jesus the Christ by placing people groups and tribes in His place of Lordship.
AS YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH JUDE AND THE NEED TO CONTEND FOR THE FAITH THAT WAS ONCE DELIVERED IS UPON US!
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SO HOW DO WE BEGIN TO EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH?
SO HOW DO WE BEGIN TO EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH?
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Jude shows us that recognition of our true identity in Christ defends us against the lies and bolsters our corporate ability to defend the faith against fake Christians who sow lies.
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LET ME GIVE YOU FOUR ANCHORS OF OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST THAT WILL HELP US DEFEND AND DEFEAT THE LIES OF THE ENEMY AND HIS FALSE PROPHETS.
LET ME GIVE YOU FOUR ANCHORS OF OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST THAT WILL HELP US DEFEND AND DEFEAT THE LIES OF THE ENEMY AND HIS FALSE PROPHETS.
1. Humility
1. Humility
1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James:
Jude is the brother of both James and Jesus, yet he calls himself a servant of Jesus and a brother of James. Why?
Jude recognizes his need of a savior and Jesus as the only one who can save. (Jude rejected Jesus as the Christ and tried to have him locked away / He was also not present with Mary as the death of Jesus / Lastly he was not mentioned as a disciple of Jesus.) (John 7:5, Mark 3:21, 31)
Jude realized Jesus was not just His savior but Lord over life and death, and all creation when He witnessed the resurrected Jesus and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:14)
HUMILITY IS THE KEY TO DEFENSE AGAINST FALSE DOCTRINES AND THE KEY TO CORRECTING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DECIEVED BY THEM.
The first sin was an appeal to the Pride of Adam and the lie that God did not have his best interest.
Humility, recognizes our need for a savior and humbly with love accepts His means and His Lordship.
We must always be aware of our need for the saving work of the cross and resurrection.
This defends us from having the lies build up a false sense of pride.
2. Anchor Two for our Identity - WE WERE CALLED.
2. Anchor Two for our Identity - WE WERE CALLED.
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
We often think of us choosing Christ as if that were possible and as if we some how in ourselves came to the knowledge of His Lordship.
Here Pride says, look what I did - I chose Jesus.
But Scripture paints a different picture and a more beautiful one at that.
19 We love because he first loved us.
4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
HE CHOSE US! NOT BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE OR WHAT WE HAVE DONE BUT BECAUSE OF HIS OWN LOVE AND DESIRE.
YOUR IDENTITY IS, ONE WHO WAS CHOSEN BY GOD!
Fred and Ruby - Called by God / Scott and Sandy - Called by God
Alandis and Kayla - Called by God / Thomas and Beth - Called by God.
3. The Third Anchor for our Identity is, you are loved by God.
3. The Third Anchor for our Identity is, you are loved by God.
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
Again, some can have the idea that God loves us only because Jesus saved us. As if God the Father and God the Son had different plans but Jesus - God the son won out.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
1 See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
You are called by God to be loved by God - To be children of God - To become like Him!
4. The Fourth Anchor for our Identity is, Kept by Jesus.
4. The Fourth Anchor for our Identity is, Kept by Jesus.
1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.
When the enemy entices you away from the faith through condemnation, reminding you of all the ways you have failed, and how utterly unworthy you are, be secure in that Jesus Himself is keeping us, preserving us.
27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
I AM NOT SAYING YOU CANNOT WALK AWAY FROM THE FAITH BUT I AM SAYING IF YOU ARE TRULY HIS HE WILL NOT ALLOW THE EVIL TO SNATCH YOU OUT OF HIS HANDS.
5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our identity must be anchored in Jesus as the one who guards us, keeps us and protects us.
YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED BY GOD, TO BE LOVED BY GOD, AND YOU ARE BEING KEPT FOR THE FULLNESS OF SALVATION BY JESUS.
DO NOT WALK IN FEAR, DO NOT WALK IN PRIDE, BUT WALK IN THE ASSURANCE THAT HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL COMPLETE IT!
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LASTLY, JUDE PRAYS A SIMPLE PRAYER OVER THE CHURCH. ONE WE SHOULD PRAY OVER ONE ANOTHER AND OUR SELVES DAILY.
LASTLY, JUDE PRAYS A SIMPLE PRAYER OVER THE CHURCH. ONE WE SHOULD PRAY OVER ONE ANOTHER AND OUR SELVES DAILY.
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Mercy in that the Holy Spirit will give us discernment that we may not be fooled by golden tongues filled with lies. Mercy that His Word becomes our bread, that we can defend the True Faith.
Peace, in our firm foundation that is Jesus. That we will not be shaken by false doctrines but will remain in the peace that comes with being called, loved, and kept by God.
Finally, that love would be multiplied to us. Love for God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that we would desire Him above all lies. And love for one another, that we would be willing to confront lies to defend one another from the snares of Satan. A love that is willing to challenge one another when we have been decieved.
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CONCLUSION:
We are called to earnestly defend the faith that was delivered once and for all. The faith is to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is truth and truth does not change.
It is this Faith, found in the revelation of Scripture, delivered to us through the prophets, Jesus the Word made Flesh, and His Apostles, that we are called to defend.
We can only defend the faith if we are anchored on the firm foundation of Jesus, the Christ, who is Lord of all and above all. Who is our salvation and the securer of our faith.
Those anchors are - We are called by God, We are Loved by God, and we are Kept by Jesus - God the Son.
In this we can swing the sword of the Word with power, precision, and with balance.
