Contending for the Faith (May 16th, 2021)

Jude is a very important book. It's interesting out of all the books in the Bible. I think Jude is the least studied least written on but things are changing. If you fold the North American Church, you will notice and almost an instantaneous and fervent interest in the book of Jude among leaders of every stripe. Including me. Because Christian leaders all over the western church. See the same thing, we are on the precipice of a flood of false teaching. I think this is the perfect time to teach Jude in our church and I'll say why, I think it's the perfect time for our church at the end of the sermon.

By the half-brother of Jesus. By the way, did you know that Mary was a virgin? She was somehow impregnated in a Divine Way by the Holy Spirit. Jesus had a Earthly mother, but no earthly father, but after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had children. And one of those children was James and another one was Jude, what? Jude is the one that wrote this book? And it was written to either a church or a group of churches. We don't know which we don't know whether this is one single church or group of churches. But it was written to a group of churches that were beginning to experience the infiltration of false teaching. Does it matter if I come over here, this morning that Jude originally had planned on writing a book about salvation. How it's free and wonderful and freeing. But once he heard about the infiltration of false teachers in this church, he changed his plan and the book that he had planned on writing, he never wrote. Instead, we got this book which is not about salvation. It is about false teaching so he changed the trip, the heat change the topic from our free salvation to defending the gospel. Or as we're calling our sermon series contending for the faith. Roman looking at 4 versus this morning, but even in 4 versus we're going to answer for five important questions. Who Am I by? I mean, the author. Who am I jewed? So who is this guy writing to you and who are you? Not you but who were the recipients? Who are you? And what will we need? Juju feel that we're coming into a church time of struggle and apostasy and struggling with all teaching. What are we going to need? No army goes into war without preparation. How would you recommend? We prepare, and then finally what's the problem? And of course, the problem is false teaching, and then who's the problem was? The problem is false teachers. We'll see all that this morning in the first four verses.

Jude verse 1 Jude a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. Let me just point out here that do Judy is a brother of James and James is a half brother of Jesus say mother different father. And Jude is a brother of James. You might have thought that Jude would say, hey, I'm a half brother of Jesus. What's my claim to fame?

Different father, I know but same mother. You should listen to me brother of Jesus. He doesn't, he says, I'm a brother of James but I'm a servant of Jesus. It is true that he is a half-brother, but the overarching flavor of the relationship that he has with his. Half-brother Jesus is not brother brother. It is not a common mother. It is, I am a servant, the Greek word there is, do lost. Slave Bond servant. I am a servant of Jesus Christ. Don't even mention that, he's the half-brother. By the way, you did not initially believed in Jesus. None of his brothers. None of his Earthly brothers did The Offspring of Joseph and Mary did not believe in Jesus until after the resurrection is matter. Fact in John chapter 7 Jesus is interacting with his Earthly family in this comment is given for not even his brothers, that would have included Jude not even his brothers believed in him.

So that is. Who Am I? Who am I, dude, I'm a servant to Jesus. That's the thing. You need to know about me. I'm a servant of Jesus now. Who are you Who am I writing to? I'm writing to those that are called

brothers and sisters of Wesley Heights. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, as your personal, Lord, and Savior, you have been called by God, you didn't choose Jesus. Jesus chose you.

Before Time began. God looked through the portals and he said, I call you two to reconciliation with me. This is what the Bible teaches in Romans 8. To Those whom he predestined do you know that before the creation of Adam and Eve before the creation of the world before the creation of angels possibly before the creation of time God and some mysterious way predestined you for his love. He said this person is going to be born in time and space and I am predestined in him for my special love and Reconciliation. The course, is no way to know that until time and space actually. Has you born? And you begin to live your life and the way the universe rules out, you are called somehow. You hear the gospel in God's Sovereign plan somehow, the holy spirit moves in your heart and you irresistibly are drawn to the Savior. You are home because you were predestined. And then when you do open your heart and just surrender to Christ you are Justified.

You are Justified. The war is over. There is no bad blood between you and God. Your sins are forgiven, you are reconciled. You are a son or daughter in the family and that's not all, that's not over. Before Time began, you were predestined in time and space. You were called when you accepted Christ, you are Justified and you've got a great future. You're going to be glorified, you're going to be, you're going to receive a brand new body, no cancer, no sickness, no illness, no sin nature. You will be a perfect world copy of our Lord. Jesus Christ. And we will live in perfect community.

You are called, you are called because you were predestined. Then called at the same time, Justified, you will one day be glorified. This is a big deal. This is not just a throwaway. It's not just chump change. It's not just rounding error. This calling means really important stuff like you are beloved in God. You like you are beloved. In God, to things will work out here. The Old Testament there is a Hebrew word facade. That is translated steadfast love. In the Old Testament and the thought is that God's love is hassad. Love it is steadfast love. It doesn't come, and it doesn't go. It doesn't strengthen, and it doesn't weekend. It just is it always is and it doesn't depend on what we do. It depends on who he is because we are called, we are beloved in God. What are the tools of the enemy is to bring our sin before Essence? And that's helpful we can repent when we see our sin, but the next step is and hopefully he'll say because we assumed were no longer loved. How could God love someone like you know, God God's love is, hisab love, steadfast love and it doesn't depend on what we do. It depends on who he is because we are called. We are beloved not because we behave in a certain way not because we're tuning in to church this morning. We are loved because he has decided to love us.

And by the way, this is secure.

Friends, if you've been called your called and you'll never be uncalled, your salvation is secure. This is what Jesus meant when he says in John 6, and this is the will of him who sent me this is. He's talking about the father, hear him who sent me is the father. This is the will of the father that I should lose, nothing of all that he has given me. That's you, that's me. This is cold. We are given to him through a calling.

And the purpose of. Is that we're going to be raised up on this last day, friends, our story is not over. I know it's tough right now. I know a lot of Trends are down right now I know is discouraging right now but there is going to be a last day and we are going to be raised up on that. And so when we are called, We're Not only beloved in, God were kept for Jesus Christ. We're being kept, we're being preserved so that we can be raised on the last day. This is exciting and this is your future and mine because we're so good. No, not because we're so good. Because some in some mysterious Way Before Time began, we were predestined and then in real time and space we were called. And when we accepted Christ, we are Justified. And we're going to be glorified. We are going to be kept for Jesus Christ. Our present is struggling. Our future is bright. Our future is secure and bright.

May peace, mercy and love, be multiplied to you. A friend's you guys are called. Your beloved in God, you're kept it for Jesus Christ, but it's not all good. It's not all good. I need to tell you in this little letter of mine, says Jude that you are being infiltrated by false teaching and false teachers. And this is going to result in a battle and it ain't going to be pretty. And I'm writing you this letter so that you can go into battle wealth. Now, you need to saddle up, you need to prepare yourself for this battle. Oh really. What what, how will we prepare ourselves with education? Do we all go? We all need to get Masters or PHD stand theology. That would be very helpful, but that's not what I'm talkin about. I see, you're talkin about apologetics I just learning all about various philosophies and being able to defend the faith. I'm being able to explain in a rational way always being ready to give an answer. That's very helpful. That's not what I'm talking about.

What are you talkin about? Then I was just, we prepare. We're going into a battle for truth. How should we prepare with Mercy with peace and with love?

Because we are not only going to explain the gospel, we're going to live it.

It'll be in our church that we project, but it's going to be in our hearts that we live.

And by the way, these false teachers that they're pretty crafty, there will be some of you that come under the sway of these false teachers and the way to win those back people back pockets with a clear description of the Gospel. Of course, with the refutation of falsehood, of course, but a soft answer turns away wrath, the best way to win these wavering mother's brother's back is with Mercy is with peace is with love. We will be teaching gospel truth, but we will be living gospel truth. And so, as we prepare, as we saddle up for this battle for truth, may I pray for you that you are filled with Mercy, with peace and with love.

Now let's start the talk by the way where 3 to it. We're through three questions of the five. Who am I? I'm a servant of Christ. Who were you? You're called beloved and kept people. What will we need? Mercy. Peace and love. Now we're on the 4th question. What's the problem? first three, beloved I just wanted to highlight this word, because It's no accident. That Jude says that we are beloved in God remember I'm writing to those who are called, beloved in God. You guys your beloved in God. Verse 2 verse 3 and I love you too. You're my beloved. Really, what did we do? You didn't do anything. When your beloved in God? Your beloved, by me our bond is in Christ. I love you. And you love me. Not because of Personality not because of geographic convenience. I love you because you are beloved in God. Any beloved and God is blood by me.

You know, as we go through difficulties in life and friction with Believers, remember our love for each, other does not depend on our emotional feelings or the compatibility of personalities. There are people in our church that I like more than others. Doesn't mean the others are bad. People. It's just that when you look at the Personalities in the interest in the Hobbies, they're more similar to mine and others are quite different than it doesn't matter. We're not talking about like, we're not talking about friendship. We're talking about beloved and our beloved Miss does not rest on personality types. It does not rest in Briggs Briggs Myers, it does not rest on the disc assessment of people. It rest in the fact that they are beloved in God and therefore we love them.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write you about our common salvation. I was going to write a book like a season's, you know, the first three chapters are about our Salvation. The last three chapters of the behaviors of Florida. I was going to write a book like Romans that just talks about the nature of justification. And sanctification Romans chapter 6. I thought I couldn't. I needed to write to you about the false teaching. Notice by the way, he says, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation. I just want a zero in, on this word, common.

Salvation. Our bond is our common salvation friend. Your testimony is different than mine, but you weren't saved any differently than I was.

The same gospel that saved, you saved me.

This is, this is the whole reason for the Reformation. if you study about Martin Luther, When is Wing Lee and the other reformers Calvin? They saw the common salvation being polluted being perverted. It said it had switched over the years from a salvation by grace to a salvation by grace and works. And sacraments And scriptural truth and change from scripture to scripture in the magisterium scripture and church. History Church, customs. There that the salvation that we have is common, it's the same, it never changes. And by the way, this is one of the very first things, this is the target. For false teachers? Let me try to draw a Target around here. That's where they're aiming. Their arrows is salvation, we could have differences in very matters of Doctrine. But usually Falls teachers will go after some element of gospel truth. What is the four elements of gospel truth that were sinners?

We're not getting better, better better. We are completely depraved. We are not even looking for God. We're Sinners. That's gospel truth. And that means we're separated.

We're separated from God now. And we will always be separated We will die and go to hell because we deserve it. That's gospel, truth. False teachers will say why we're not. So we're trying really hard and maybe God's upset with us, but we're not separated. And you can certainly earn your way to heaven. If your most know we're Sinners and we're separate but God sent his son God sent his son, and that's the only solution there is no other solution.

And what we need to do is accept that gift. In surrender. This is Gospel truth. This here, this is the common. Salvation.

And this is the common salvation that Jude has with his hearers. But not with the false teachers, I was going to write you a letter about salvation, but I found it necessary.

Siri is interesting. There's two things that there's two words that could be necessary necessary, as in needful like you're baking a cake. It is necessary to have flower. It is necessary to have eggs. It is necessary to have milk. It is necessary to have an oven necessary. You need it required. That's not this word. This word necessary is an emotional word that has an element of distress to it. It has an element of pressure to it. 1st Thessalonians 3 7. We read this. I didn't put this on a slide, so listen carefully, 1st, Thessalonians 3-7. This Brothers in all our distress and affliction. Did you get that this Brothers in all our distress and affliction? This is Paul writing about the difficulties. He's having his life. Yes, that word Affliction is the same word necessary.

I feel distress. The word distress is the same word as necessary. When Paul wrote this Brothers. In all our distress that is the same root word. Is this word necessary. So, Jude is not saying all this is necessary, I just did an audit of your church and this is necessary like flowers necessary for a cake. I'm in distress. You need this, this is important. Stop what you're doing, whatever it is, you're doing and listen to this. This is necessary that I appeal to you to contend. This is to fight for. This is not going to be a passive thing.

What are we going to fight for the faith noticed? This is a noun. It's not a verb. Many times in the Bible is a verb, is an action. Put your faith in Christ surrendered. This is a noun. This isn't an option. It is the Fate. This is the accepted Orthodox teaching of the Bible. This is we need to contend that. It's necessary. I feel I need to write to you and because I just tell you more about those common salvation, It's once for all.

False teachers, when they're modifying salvation, they say it isn't once. For all it needs updating. Cuz you know the world's changed right? You guys watching your baby behind If you want to be relevant, we're going to have to take this Gospel of yours. Let me just say that. Okay, we're going to have to update this baby. No, no, no, was, is once for all it doesn't get updated. Many things. Get updated. The internet in our church used to be consumer-grade and fragmented. Now it's industrial-grade and ubiquitous it's in every corner of the church. That was an upgrade. That's to change. A good change. Thank you. Tim, our YouTube channel has got more care and love over the past year than it ever had before in all our years. In the church. Thank you. Steven needs an upgrade. Rbbs plans. I love Alicia, but she doesn't have a VBS plan. She's got like three because she doesn't know what the rules are going to be on CBS. They need a major upgrade because we may not be able to have a hundred and fifty kids here. That changes everything supplies. And yes, all those things need to change. I'm an ounce at. Did you notice in the in the announcement announcing Drive in church for May 30th? You'll get details from this week. We're going to have a drive-in Church, May 30th come in your car's. We're going to do the service outside and you will be in your car's watching us through your windshield. Tuning your FM antenna at FM, radios. I know that we can't get out of our cars. We can't give each other, a holy kiss and a hug, but it's better than nothing. That's an upgrade. That's a change. Absolutely. Absolutely, but not the gospel.

The gospel doesn't get upgraded. The gospel doesn't get tweet. We will not find relevancy by corrupting the gospel, it is once and for all, I notice it is delivered one into. It is delivered. This is not something we figured out.

Rocket ships are not delivered. Their designed and built by our own Ingenuity salvation. No, no, no, it was not designed and built by our own agenda Ingenuity. It was delivered. It was just given to us, is not like we figured this thing out.

Twin Falls, teachers figure out a new gospel. They always say it's so that we can be more relevant to our world and the irony, is that as we change the gospel, we become irrelevant not relevant. You you follow the history of any church, that's changed the gospel. They always do it to relate better to their world cuz we want to be relevant yet. You fast-forward 50 years, and are totally irrelevant. That's where the mainline churches are today. Mainline churches. May I just be bold, is this is my opinion, this is not a teaching of scripture. I'm walking away from the scriptures right now, I'm sharing my own opinion. But the mainline churches began to leave the gospel in the 1920s. There was a whole bunch of social issues and they like like pretty girls at a party they want and change them. And they responded to those issues. The seems like a good idea at the time, but then there was another set of social issues, it another set of social issues and lost in all of this was the Gospel. They are completely irrelevant, nobody listens, nobody talks, nobody cares, they have no power when covid and their old, all of their churches are like 65 and up. And when covid hurt, hit guess what? Group doesn't want to come to church to 65 and up and guess which group will never come to church? The 65 it up and guess who's selling properties? Like Crazy Town. The mainline churches tinkering with the gospel. Always promises relevant and always delivers irrelevance.

The gospel was delivered once for all it is once for all and it was delivered and that will never change. One last editorial point, the gospel never changes. But the way we present the gospel that can change in thirty or forty years ago, we had a method called the Romans world, the Romans road and a basically walk through those five, those four s's sooner separated son, surrender and it just gives verses in Romans to support, although that's why it's called the Romans road, keep doing that it, if you're comfortable with that, keep doing that. But something important has changed over the last 40 years. People do not Define Sim the same way they did forty or fifty years ago, nor do they have the respect for scripture, even unbelievers, had a reference for scripture that is not true anymore, so the gospel never changes. But if we present it in a language, in a way that does not resonate with the people work that are listening to us it'll be in the fact if that's why we use something called the story method and I would just encourage you get good at the story method and if you don't know what the story method is a creation fall rescue and restoration, go to our website and just under good news, click on the gospel that will take you to the story. Cite you'll be able to see it eventually, you'll be able to read it in words. I would encourage you. We can't change the gospel but we need to present in a world in a way that people understand.

Something's Happened. We received the gospel. It was delivered to us. Once for all it doesn't change. That's good. But Something's Happened. Certain people have crept in unnoticed noticed is this phrase? Crept in unnoticed of the Bible says and church history teaches that false teachers rarely announce themselves.

They rarely come and say... I am here to update your gospel. They never do that. Instead, they join your staff and they join. Your teaching staff at a school. Maybe your pastoral stock, and they say very little Very little for a long time until they sense that they've got a majority, they're working in the background undermining the gospel and when they sense they've got a majority. They take the organization and all its building in money.

This should not surprise us. This is the way the enemy Works in his list of seven Parables. Matthew in Matthew 13. Jesus is talking about a man who wants to ruin a crop of wheat. He doesn't build his own competing crop of weeds. He seeds the weeds inside the crop of wheat. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. That's what false teachers do and you know what the best defense is The best defense against a false teacher is a healthy Church. In Ephesians 4. Paul is talking about the church and it says, Hey church, God is giving you a possibles and Prophets and evangelist and Shepherd teachers. You know why he's done this? No, no accident is working on a plan to your guys. He gave you these for gifts so that the same can be equipped to do the ministry of Christ. These people, these people here don't do most of the work. These people do the Saints, but the Saints need to be equipped. Who are they equipped by these people? That's the plan of the church. And, you know what happens? When this really works. Well, we mature in Christ and we're no longer tossed to and fro by the waves and carried away by every wind of Doctrine by human cunning. Craftiness deceitful. These Are all false teachers?

No room for the Erie Otters.

The best antidote to false teachers is a healthy Church. I want to invite you to her town hall on May 26th because although we think that our church is wonderful and strong and it is and we think you're wonderful. And you are, we do think that coronavirus has Revealed not created revealed to significant weaknesses in our church that inhibit Ministry. That do not provide a sufficient antidote, for instance, for false teachers. And we want to tell you more about those two areas of connections and discipleship on the May 26th and what your leadership team is doing about that. And why, whatever your leadership team, does it won't be enough. We will need you as a church. We want to get much better at connections. Much better at discipleship so that we can Google. Emanate, the love of Christ.

Tell tell you something about these teachers, they were long ago, designated for condemnation.

I told you a little bit about the gospel it's once for all its delivered. Now let me tell you a little bit about the teachers there already defeated. Play with the word defeated before they were born. Because there is this, there is this law of nature that God has put into the universe Twin Falls teachers, infiltrate the people of God, they are defeated. That's why next week. It's come back next week. I'm excited about this for weeks. What come back next week he refutes New Testament, false teachers with Old Testament Falls teachers that were defeated And he's saying their defeat was long ago. I know they're just teaching now, they're eventually going to lose because the same pattern that built that took down pour up, is going to take down these people. They were defeated long ago. False teachers of lost before they start. It takes a little while to play out. But they've already lost. The question is not, whether the false teachers are going to lose their going to lose the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against the church. It's not a question of whether they're going to lose their going to lose. The question is, how many people did they damage on the way down? And that's what the church is minimizing. That's what the church is trying to protect against, by the way. I think it's interesting. This may have no scripture relevance. I would not put this in my dog kennel statement, but do you find it interesting way? I find it interesting. But Jude talks about false teachers and their ultimate defeat their ultimate punishment. What is the book right after Jude?

Revelation. That talks about the last and final and greatest fault is teacher. And the last and final and greatest defeat for false teaching. It is possible that what is playing out in Jude's church is just a Prelude, to the ultimate. What is playing out in the western church right now. Sharing is just a Prelude to the ultimate expression of false teaching in the ultimate deceit for false teachers. Can tell you about these. False teachers little more. First of all, they were defeated. Did you get that part? Okay. Let me tell you something else about them. Their ungodly people Not going a little overtime today and I apologize but I can't cut out this point. This is critical please. Please please. If you're drifting cuz I'm being a little long-winded. I apologize for that. What come back now? Jude is warning against false teachers. You know what, he never says in his letter.

Not a single time.

He never says, what the false Doctrine was.

What what what unorthodox belief do they have about? Jesus doesn't say What on Earth has specifically what unorthodox belief do they have about the scriptures? He doesn't say. He identifies them another way. They did have unorthodox beliefs but we don't know what they were. He says that's not the towel in poker. You have a towel as a little facial expression you make when you get a good hand or bad to hand and a perceptive opponent will notice that the towel is not there. They're in the book of Jude. The towel is the abhorrent lifestyle that false Doctrine always leads to. I don't want to talk to about their Christy ology, I don't want to talk about their Newman out numerology. I don't want to talk about the way they deal with scripture. I can tell you that they're Falls teachers right here, their ungodly people Their ungodly people. They pervert the grace of God into sensuality. Do you know? The scriptures put a perimeter alert around the church if we will obey the scriptures Falls teachers never actually get in kids. Are you looking at question number 7 because you're going to get your answer. The perimeter alert is the very first verse of Psalms. What's the distant man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked? Nor stands in the way of Sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers? We should not associate with people like this. False teachers will always have had a parent Doctrine but they will always pervert the grace of God into sensuality. This is a codeword adults. This is very probably physical Sim and they don't repent they embrace. They don't repent, they celebrate. False teaching always results in ungodly livestock. So they are only master and Lord. Jesus Christ. Oh yes, they do.

They not only do it. If their doctrinal statement, they do it in their manner of life. Final Point mental wrap-up, which is an example. Notice how he starts the letter. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ knows how he ends the first section. They deny our only master. I'm his servant. They deny him. And notice our not there, these are not believers. These are unbelievers that are posing as Believers to spread false Doctrine in the church. This is our savior not theirs.

So, who am I? I'm a servant of Christ. Who are you? You're called your beloved. You're capped? What will we? Need will lead, peace, mercy, and love. What's the problem for teaching is creeping into your church? Who's the problem, the false teachers, this is a pattern that shows in human in church history all the time. Do you know that Princeton University was founded in 1636 to teach people how to preach to teach men, how to preach the gospel?

I want to read you. The mission statement for Princeton University as it was originally written.

Princeton exist. So that men may be plainly instructed and consider. Well, that the main end of our life and studies is to know, God, and Jesus Christ. We are building Princeton University so that people will know that. The main end of all studies is to know Jesus Christ.

False teachers, got on their faculty, didn't say too much. Where did they had a majority and then took over quickly Within 65 years but it didn't get the 1700, by the time you get to 1700, you can already see the doctrinal drift. Which is why ye or was started the snow that Yale was started to be a place. That would be faithful to the gospel. As we say, goodbye to Princeton

Jail Ministry statement youth may be instructed in the Arts and scriptures, who threw the blessing of God, may be fitted for public employment, both in the church and civil State, that's not true anymore. Because they did not heed the words of Jude Falls. Teachers got in, we're giving license, I became a majority, the YMCA Do you know why the YMCA would stands for young men's Christian Association? Do you know why it was started? Here's the original mission statement. The YCA YMCA began as quote, a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young. Men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets. Each of these organizations. Were infiltrated by false teachers that gradually denied the gospel. And stole the organization out from under our feet. And why is this so important now? Why is the western church rediscovering Jude now? Because we are living in a world of unprecedented error things that we didn't even think Could Happen 10 years ago are now made.

Jude is the boat. By the way Jude is not about Society. Running amok and attacking the church. That's an external threat. Jude isn't about that. Jude is about internal threats. These are people in the church, teaching the church. So what's the connection? Here's the pattern of History. Everytime Society takes a major Bender into error. There are always those false teachers that infiltrate the church. That say, let's tweak this gospel So that we can better relate to a Wandering Society.

They noted and they creep Ian, they don't announce themselves, they come in on their Wares, they promised relevance, they give us irrelevance. They promise success, they give us shipwreck. The reason we're studying this at Wesley Heights is because it's not currently happening. I think I'm I am pretty aware of almost everything is going on in the church. As far as I know, there are no false teaching. There's no false teachers and no false teaching. So this is the right time to have this conversation before it happens because it will someone somewhere from in the church or from out the church is going to try to help us reach the society by changing the gospel. That was delivered once for all. And we know how to end some changes will be good, not till the gospel, but some things are very Innovative Drive in church. I hope will be a big success but we're not going to change the gospel and the right time to have this conversation is right now. So what is the application to this message? It's to rest in your salvation and get ready for battle. And I just want to tell you friends that come what may no matter what happens as we get ready, no matter what happens in the battle you have been called, you have been predestined and Justified you will one day be glorified, no matter what happens, it is and will continue to be well with your soul.