Positive Strategies for Contending & Persevering in Faith
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Saying in team sports- that the best offense is a good defence. These people would spend all their time studying there opponent and readying themselves with countermeasures. But just as many people would say that the best defense is a good offense, and these people would worry much less or not at all about what other teams do. Well so far what has Jude done for us - remember the amber alert, the two threefold descriptions of the false teachers. He wants us to understand the dynamics of that root sin of presumption. He wants us to connect the dot between unbelief, rebellion and what? Judgment. First half of the letter is decidedly about they, and he has shown a universal time spanning in the past.
A little bit negative, and not only that heavy and indeed scary. As one person put it this keeps me up at night - thinking of all the error and the false teaching in Christ’s church today. Well this should wake us up. A little bit like Greta Thunberg from Sweden, but might get stuck there just point out the problem, overwhelmed angry depressed. And boy when you re-read the effect of their teaching on God’s people from those nature metaphors - hidden reefs, waterless clouds, fruitless trees -twice dead with no seed, wild waves of the sea scummy foam stirred up , wandering stars whose spark of light going to burn out and lead others into the same darkness and judgment - ought to be alarmed. Who wants to be in a church of grumblers, malcontents, where sinful desire reigns, loudmouthed boasters twist true way of Christ, and show favoritism selfish gain?
But Jude the brother of Jesus, once didn’t believe Messiah on earht, once didn’t believe in a God who would send his Son as a sin sacrafice and riase HIm pu and a new humanitya new church with him, this Jude isn’t surprised nor daunted by the presence of false teachers. And under the inspiriation of thehOly SPirit he has words from his brother and Lord the King Jesus atthe righthand of the gloryin heaven, so you won’t be either. Why not? He finishes this letter with the three-prong offensive and positive strategy for dealing with the the false teachers and contending for the faith, the gospel of Jesus within the church! Tonight we’ll look at the first of those two strategies. The thrid is how you can play a part in rescuing others influenced by false teaching, plagued withdoubts, toying with unbelief, stuck in rebellion - how though hatingthe false teaching you can exercise not justice but mercy inhelping these. But justlike when you board a plane and they run through the safety check, if the cabin should ose pressure - only a few minutes and pass out with out oxygen so get yours on and then help others. So too tonight focus on two strategies toconented for the faith and persevere in it, combatting unbelief.
You can have protection and vicotry over falseteaching, when you
Key Truth: Keep the content of holy faith at the forefront of your mind, and the experience of the love of God at the core of your being!
Having laid out he problem and described the enemy actually 18 descriptions here - pretty full apb: Profile of an Apostate Jude now switches from speaking from they .. .to you, you beloved. Changes from warning to exhortation and to encouragement. He is returning to the purpose and coming to the climax of the letter. Remember the point Jude 3b
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
And the first command he gives the first strategy is designed to calm all that anxiety true believers have about false teaching. Here it is:
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A. Remember the Apostles’ Teaching & Warnings
And maybe you say well how does remembering the predictions of the Lord Jesus Christ’s official s delegates change how we face false teaching? Well the key word there is REMEMBER and the idea is not that you forgot these predictions I hope you remember these: starting with Jesus himself warning of wolves in sheep clothing,false prophets deceiving if possible even the elect in the church. But then when he was gone, appointed spokespersons - to teach everything he commanded and gave the Holy Spirit in fuller measure to not only bring into remembrance but to have God teach the meaning of the cross the resurrection the ascension, the kingdom of God among us, the fruits of our salvation, way to walk in the Spirit, Do you remember what Peter and Paul said in warning not so long ago to you:
Well the first strategy is less about not forgetting those words, as it is about expecting these predictions to come true in your life tie, even in your denomination, even in your congregation. And this is actually good and positive and encouraging for us. Can you imagine if you lived in a world were nothing bad ever happened, all of a sudden you lost your voice one morning, then your hearing the next, then movement in your toes, next morning your hands. Everyone else’ life is going swimmingly, - but would you not dread waking up the next morning. Well, after reading Jude’ letter so far, after surveying false teachers around us - can feel paralyzed like that. And the first strategy is for you to say: look this is normal, when God sends his word of truth and grace it is sporadically against human pride and sinful nature - that it is normal and to be expected that there will be opposition, even Satanic opposition. And your first step to getting to a positive strategy is not to panic. Nor to ignore it and say couldn’t happen here, no real false teachers in our day.
Well the first strategy is less about not forgetting those words, as it is about expecting these predictions to come true in your life tie, even in your deomoination even in your congregation. And this is actually good and posotive and encouraging for us. Can you imagine if you lived in a world were nothing bad ever happened, all of a sudden you lost your voice one morning, then your hearing the next, then movement in your toes, next monring yor hands. Everyone elses’life is oging swimingly, - but would you not dread waking up the next morning. Well, after reading Jude’ letter so far, after surveying false teachers around us - can feel paralyzed like that. And the first strategy is for you to say: ook thisis normal, when God sends his word of truth and grace it is soradically against human pride and sinful nature - that it is normal and tobe expected that there willl be opposition, even Satantic opposition. And your first step to getting to a postive strategy is not to panic. NOr to ignore it and say couldn’t happen here, no real false teachers in our day.
No, Peter in his warning even says:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;
In fact Jesus said you are blessed. Listen to Paul
for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
If you are alarmed you may not only stumble with the false teachers of our day but fall. But Jude is saying what His Lord said, expect distortion and false teachers within, but remember Jesus words:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Do you remember the promises of Jesus that you can face down the enemy in his strength, that though they bicker and fight and malign you even in front of church assemblies, even when you suffer publically for standing up for Christ and his truth, make you look like a wet blanket and stuck in the mud, dinosaur , and narrow minded for believing the gospel, sin and hell, and Cross, and Holy Spirit transformation, and truth, and coming Kingdom. That Jesus said this is part of the plan for you to be purified, for the world to receive authentic witness to counterculture faith and Kingdom of God!
But to do so you need these predictions f whom on the forefront of your mind? The apostles, Jewish word for power of attorney. Let me expain what these wrodsof the apostles are. REmeber what Jesus said in before the worod changing events of the Cross, the Resurrection fromtheDea,d the Ascnsion to receive all authroityin his ascensionand enthronement into heaven. No one noteven Peter James or John could really get what - salvation, what Christian life, what the kingdomwas all about - until after that. AndJesus delegates them to be the ones who expalin the biggest God eventsthat everyone needs to know about with these words:
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
That’s the rest of the apostles HOly Spirit inspired perfect teaching, inscripturated inthe teachingof the NT Jesus said
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
says you whatthe church is - itsnot the big deal, it a pillar whose job is to hold up the big deal, and what is the big deal - its thegospel of Jesus, the wll of Gjeuss - church isentrustedwith it
if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
And Jude wants you to know when you face down false teachers, you don’t need to be surprised or afraid. Now is the time that we really test whether the truth of the gospel of Jesus words which stands against the distortion of truth of the world, , whether they are confirmed in us.
Our faith is not merely someone’s personal opinion; it is a revelation which came from Jesus Christ and was preserved and transmitted within his church, always under the care and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from generation to generation… Our faith is a) not opinion but revelation, not guessing but certainty. (b) It is different in that it has the power to make those who believe it different. It is not only a mind-changer but also a life-changer; not only an intellectual belief but also a moral dynamic. Barclay
Understand the contrast, Jude has painted here - the falseteachers words are pompous words, grumbling words baosting words, but they are not lastin words - replace God’s Word with mere opinoin vaily for their own ends. And that is why the first strategy is to REMEMBER THE WORD of the Apostles.
William Barclay, ed., The Letters of John and Jude, Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 202–203.
William Barclay, ed., The Letters of John and Jude, Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 203.
HOw did Jude describe it at the begining of the letter, we are not so much efending our faith in the sense of how well you and I bleieve and trust, we are defending the faiht of whatwe believe. About these wrods of what God has done, what he warnds and proises, what he will do - these words are life . So itsnotjust thatyou must not forget these important wors, but that they must be on the forefront of your mind.
It’s like your smart phone, it has REM memory - doesn’t change stored away in hard drive sd card. Has to be pulled up. And then there is RAM that is what is pulled to the front to start working, like apps , and pictures, and you keep all those up - very quickly bogs your phone down, can’t pull anything up any more. Jude is saying, keep these prediction,s keep this faith in you RAM don’t have other stuff in life overload your system so no room to pull it up. These are RHEMA words, words of power that authority and declarative power.
TO use an another example, do you know your brain stores all the events and words of the day in short term memory, and then when you enter REM sleep , your brain subconsciously goes to work - in scattered random way sorts through all those memories, and consolidates what’s important into long term memory and throws out short terms not important, and that were dreams come from. Well for many Christians God’s Word, these Words Jesus inspired as the NT covenant , are just short term memory scattered, and Jude is saying get them consolidated and sorted out and in your long term memory.
Now why is that so impornt? We find that in
They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
Someone who denies the authority of these God Words and God truths, is acting like Cain - rejecting God who showed up and personally spoke to Him, called him to repentance, no I want what I want, your words are not true, won’t really punish, don’t really mean what you say. Well Jude cites this warning to say that we are living in the last times, says in last days and we are in them God spoken through His son, says in the last days Holy Spirit poured out. says no in the last times the gospel is manifest. From Jesus death and resurrection until the day of Judgment is the last days for the NT. And in these times false teachers in the church will be mockers of others. OT word from Proverbs:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
The mocker’s goal is to shame someone by deceiving them, whether they realize it or not their false teaching about God, about life - tricking people and the end result of the mockers work is that deceived people will stand along, following the lust of their own desire - not governed by God’s word and Spirit - but greed, fame, money, success
Look at the result in
It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
You accept their false opinions about God and life and your self, you follow ungodly desires, instead of the Spirit - end up divided in one of three ways: 1 Schism break the unity of brothers and sisters here. 2. Others while not attacking the fellowship, will attack the bond of faith,the truth - heresy; and still others will deny Christ altogether and give up on religion apostasy. All rooted in false teaching, that divides. Jude says separate yourself from these dividers . They will be known by their fruit ,He uses some of the strongest language to show that some in the church following false teaching, acting like brute animals - you can see in the middle of how they disagree - they are not full of prayer in the spirit, nor are they governed by the Sprit but those words ungodly passions, worldly people, devoid of the spirit. all mean they are operating like brute beasts, governed by passion not even human spirit, they are like the natural man Paul talks about in and be sure remembering the words of the faith - you don’t give yourself to follow them.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
And Jude’s saying that as a spiritual person remembering the words of faith, holy faith, apostolic faith - you will be vigilant to oppose and avoid false teachers in the church.
But now comes the great postives in this comand to keep yourselves in the love of God.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Notice that there is only one command, but it comes before and after with three ways that we are keep our selves in the love of God. Now we would be tempted to say false teachers, aghh let’s keep picking on their deficiencies and all who follow them. Isn’t that what we often do in our minds with people we don’t like . And in our human pride , thinking we can handle this ourselves - we might be quick to make the spiritual actions we do as the solution to false teaching- pray more, read more, work more. But look its not enough to attack false teaching, i’snot enough to try in your own power to live differently. It is demonic opposition behind it all, and beside the Word of God, the second prong of our strategy is aligning in our work with God’s greater and continuing work. What do I mean..
Well, it is striking how many times love is mentioned in this short letter. To those who are called, beloved in God the Father. And then the unique greeting: May mercy, peace, AND LOVE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU. And then two times in our short paragraph he calls the believers a name only used for Christian. BELOVED< AGAPOTS. Those who are treasured by God just because from eternity to eternity, nothing in themselves,he just chooses to love us. DO you know what it means to be loved like that.
Confession to make as a parent sometimesmylove has been conditional. Almost gave up once, gave up hope for change, cut off real chericshing love suplly to mychildren, paret for convience. I had to confess that askfor forgivness. You know what something had t break Ihad borken it, And wehnthe break laid out inthe open, Ithink in the most secure way ,knew in small way like God’s love,not coindtioned onwho you aror what you do, and I would be for - I really think that kids likfe bgan to flourish, I knowour relationships did.
Well, Jude is saying, you are loved by God like that and you are kept not for darkness but for Jesus Christ - for a purpose - live a different life because of that. But just because God loved you first and best, doesn’t mean - that Christian life is o cruise control.
God’s sovereignity and your repsonbilty inperfect harmony when he gave you a new heart, gave you the mind of Chirst. So the waythat Jesus lived in the love of God the Father, even in his darknst yhours, so now you have to live that expereince of being loved by GOd, Love bindsus to the way of the Lord doesn’t it. YOu going to go on a rampage when angryor incoflict, no the loveoof Christ constrains us ina goodway - I’m loved so I love. You going to let your feet wander to a brothel, or your eyes to x-rated website . This ith s the second stragey that Jude is posively laying out - you should tryit - You are loved by God, so now you keep yourself .
Learn by the opposite Doyouremember his example about those angels who didn’t keep themselves in their sphere of service and station- but broke the bounds,whetehr first day of cration or with daughters of man.
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—
Now you keep yourself in the Father’s love - and there isno way you will fall away. Your kept in God’s care andcustody. Listen to this how does Jesus say to love Him?
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
and
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
And that’s where we really see the good news of God keeping us and then we keeping ourselves inHIs love. How does it happen look at these three tools: build, pray, wait.
B. Three tools for keeping yourself in the love of God
The first is a tool of the mind.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
This is not just you peronsally rememberingthe aposltes words, now. This is you now taking thisWord, the holy faith containedtherein, holy because itisn otonly from God butit also iswahtmakes people holy, it is the gospel the power of God unto slavtion, Nowwe are to building up work outs withthis word. and otgoto gym by ourselves, but with each other. There is to be a growth with your indinGod’s word, as you exercisestheWrodin each toher’s life. That word build up means to increasethe potential of someone. YOu sharing the word, living it out, you strengthen thereverenec to the Lord in someoneelseslife.
YOu can really tell in a conflict in the church whetherthegoal is edification inChrist, or me getting my way forone truth, one right, for my way. That’ the big contrast Jude lays outfalse teaching separatesandtears down the church, but true faith buildsit up with God Wordgrowingineachotherslives. Falseteaching tireofGods’Word forevery part of life, maybe not for their pet doctrine, but for all of life, believers hunger for itand heeditinall areaso life.
ii. But secondly tokeep yourself in the love of God, you need to sustain your relationship withthe Lord. You enteredintoitwhen you were born again, when you wrejusified and reconciled to Gdo through Christ, But can you imagine someone saying I love you atthe ewdding butnever talking to his wife or jhusband again I doltyou. Need all other expressions. Need to be talking. The love of God in us is sustained by relationship and relationship is sustained with prayer!
Jude says its simple: these false teacher don’t have the Spirit and so they don’t really pray to God. Do you? Whose job is that in you? DO you know that all true prayer is born of the Holy Spirit, as God’s gift to you, taking permanent residence in your soul, the Holy Spirit prompt both the content and the manner of all true prayer.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
he groans within us,.
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
The false teachers live iwith only the influence of their own spirit or even only their passions, they are the natural man. But you inChrist arenow tuly a spiritual man or woman and it is the HOly Spirit who influenes you through prayer. Chrysostom, siad the New Covenant time special gift given to some the gift of prayer, they pray for others in new way, and they teach oother s to pray like this!
Congregation I tell you there are false doctrines, but also false teachers in the church today, take down Crosses of our Lord replace them with LGBTQ rainbows. There are false doctrines that say all religions teach the same thing - love respect tolerance, and all will be saved, but the strong love and grace of Jesus isn’t in them. And is it is in the Spirit through prayer that we must seek to live in the love of God and keep the faith.
iii.
But lastly before we can hope to really walk beside others who are influenedby this falseteaching , Jude gives us a third tool for keepingourselves inthe love of God. HOPE
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
One of the keys to success in life is delayed gratification. Got to teach our kids that the best is yet to come, and its worth waiting for something great, or working for something great,more than settling for something so so. Probably seen experiments - either get one marshmallow now that you can see, or whole feast later . So easily settle for good instead of setting our sights on a more distant great. The NT says, the false teaching of this world majors on the now, like the prosperity gospel of Joel Olsteen - with a grain of truth teaches the lie of your best life now. God is there bellies, there motto is eat, drink for tomorrow we die.
But you know what people that live like that don’t really survive:
In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist Victor Frankl observed that “the loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect on man.” As a result of his own experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, Frankl contended that when a person no longer possesses a reason for living … no future to look forward to, he shrivels up and dies. “Any attempt to restore a man’s inner strength in camp,” he wrote, “had first to succeed in showing him some future goal.” (“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl, quoted in Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, ed. Michael Green, [Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1989], p. 194.)
So it is with life. Life is a concentration camp, in the sense that none of us gets out alive. Yet, we can all have something to look forward to. We do not have to shrivel up and die.
After warning his readers about the dangers of false teachers and the need to resist them, Jude concluded his letter by presenting a resounding doxology of hope. “God is able to keep you from stumbling now,” he declared, “and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy!” What a hope. What a day to look forward to. What a reason to keep going. Scripture calls it the “blessed hope” (), and so it is.
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Andhere Jude says, that hope is for further mercy, that mercy he was praying would be multipled. Doyou have the humility, onoging battle with sin, relying onmercyof theCross, but applied a new each day, applied onthe last day And when you thinkof the mercy of that \Day of the Lord comoing to you and allGod’s people, your heart thrills - that’s what I am living for that kingdom where mercyregins . If you live with no hope inChrist’s comiong you nowhat- you aretooimmersednthis world, andyou wnn’t be livinginthelove of God. You stop longing for his protection and his fuller presence. When you take your eyes off this future hope - you will find your sense of the love of God evaporating in your life
But we are to live,like SimeonandAnna did waitingofr thsoncloation of Israel, only inpart with Jesus first comnig live inanticipation and ready for His second, you will loveGod more andrest n His great plans for your future.
Like Joseph of Arimeatha
Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Thatsame reality - solid hope of fuure kigndomof Christ - propelshiminthe present- to give a resting place for Jesus’ body- unitd with ihm-giveand sacrifce and build the movment, you can bet living bythat hope knowing that great mercy - kept in the love of God .
Andnext week we’ll see when we are praying like this, hoping in future merylike thi, when we war building others in the holy faith like this - not oonly keptin the love of God, but you know what that merywe expereince, equipped to go tothose doubts, inrebellion,wavering, little sense o God’s love, and though hating anyfalseteaching, able to save and rescueothers when we are kept inGod’s love like this. That’s the laststrategy - to go tohers once we’re secure inGod’s truth, His love, emoppwer d byHIs Spirit and otivated by His love.
David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 268.