The faithful Church
Jude • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsEarnestly fight for the faith delivered as there are those that would take it away.
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Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 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. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 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. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction:
The strength of this church is in its relationships!
- Our relationship to God
- Our relationship to each other.
We enjoy a peaceful existence in our faith and worship.
We have the freedom to worship God and have demonstrated the love of Christ to the community.
We have realized great answers to prayer.
We come together and have experienced great fellowship.
Yet, all of these are only as true as our faith allows!
Yet, all of these are only as true as our faith allows!
None of it is determined by circumstance or regulated by society!
We are truly blessed people.
But, lest we fall into sleep having our senses dulled, we always need to be on guard for that which steals away our faith.
Jude does not beat around the bush!
He speaks of those who have been prepared for the task of destroying the body of Christ.
My brothers and sisters, we have a bond in Christ that is not to be unglued!
We must beware of those that come in to steal and devour the flock, and we must be ready to fight to maintain the faith delivered to us!
If we are to continue in the faith:
I. We must remember who we are.
I. We must remember who we are.
I. Must remember who they are.
I. Must remember who they are.
A. called
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom
We can never loose sight of this most wonderful theological perspective.
We have been called by God!
How wonderful must He be, that calls us:
Out of darkness into His light.
Out from sin and into forgiveness.
Out of death and into life.
B. Beloved
Loved enough to provide everything needed to change who we are.
C.Preserved
Kept by the power of Almighty God in a state of remarkable grace.
II. We must embrace virtuous living.
II. We must embrace virtuous living.
“Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”
A.
A.
These are the virtues of our existence.
The qualities that mark the life of a believer of Jesus Christ!
Because we have received mercy we give mercy.
Because we have received peace we are the ambassadors of peace.
Because we have received multiplied love, we love.
And we curb the natural reactions and bring all into the very presence of the three.
We live under the banner of mercy, peace, and love!
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Are not these three virtues at the heart of this verse?
If rather than looking at the physical part of what Jesus was saying, we can see the spiritual wonder of it, we could understand the real power we have in exercising Mercy, Peace, and love!
How else are the sick healed, or the leper cleansed, or the dead raised to glory, or demons vanquished from our midst, if not be Mercy, Peace, and Love?
III. We must Intensely fight for that freedom.
III. We must Intensely fight for that freedom.
Jude says contend for the faith!
We don’t need to wear boxing gloves to do this!
We don’t put on brass knuckles!
We don’t take up the sword, or carry a side arm, or mount a machine gun to our car!
We fight with the weapons I spoke of last week, the ones that move mountains!
We fight with the weapons I spoke of last week, the ones that move mountains!
We are to be contending all the time!
It is a present tense verb that knows no rest!
So how do we contend or in other words, fight?
A. Note those that cause division.
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
B. Restore those that have fallen.
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
It also means that we...
C. Walk along side of those who are struggling.
D. Be an example to flock.
nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
Conclusion:
You see, this is the way of the faithful church.
This is what the Lord Jesus Christ desires for His body.
This is what constitutes holiness, not just individually but corporately!
So let us contend for the faith that has been once for all delivered to us!