The Worthwhile Christian Struggle

Introduction:

What is worth fighting for? What is worth the struggle?

What are you fighting for, and is what you are struggling for really going to provide for you what you hope?

Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) Contend for the Faith

From 1555 to 1558 Queen Mary, the Catholic ruler in England, had 288 Protestant reformers burned at the stake—men like John Rogers, John Hooper, Rowland Taylor, Robert Ferrar, John Bradford, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, and Thomas Cranmer. And why were they burned? Because they stood by a truth—the truth that the real presence of Jesus’ body is not in the eucharist but in heaven at the Father’s right hand. For that truth they endured the excruciating pain of being burned alive.

The blood of the martyrs is a powerful testimony that the faith once for all delivered to the saints is worth contending for. But there is evidence of this right here in verse 3. Jude says that what he is really writing about is our common salvation. “Since I am eager to write about our common salvation, it is necessary to urge you to contend for the faith.” When the faith is at stake, our salvation is at stake. If the truth is lost, salvation is lost. The apostles and reformers were willing to die for the sake of the faith because they cared about whether the message of salvation would be preserved—they cared about people and about the glory of God.

What are you fighting for, and is what you are struggling for really going to provide for you what you hope?

Context of Jude:

Jude is presumably the 1/2 brother of Jesus, and he opens up with comforting news to Christians living in difficult times. Jude 1

Jude 1 KJV 1900

1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

(i) The good news of the Christian struggle: Christians are preserved in Jesus Christ

No matter what happens in our world, those who belong to Jesus can never be separated from the love of God.

Kid’s Pause: If a Person truly believes on Jesus as Lord, he can never be separated from God.

Jude 2 KJV 1900

2 mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Now, Jude wanted to write to these Christians about the common salvation but instead had to write to them to contend for the faith. Jude 3

Jude 3 KJV 1900

3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Why contend?

Jude 4 KJV 1900

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the word contend means to struggle or fight for, what does he mean by faith?

(a) the pattern the little letter gives us a clue as to what he means. Notice Jude 5-7 give three Old Testament scripture examples, Jude 11 gives three more OT scripture examples.

(b) the explicit words of Jude 17 is the words spoken by the apostles. Acts 2:42

Jude 17 KJV 1900

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Acts 2:42 KJV 1900

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

What then does Jude mean by these OT scriptural examples and by the apostles’ doctrine?

(ii) The good means of the Christian struggle: God has given his word as a means of preserving his people.

Jude is saying that you should struggle for the Christ-centered scriptures which are the foundation for the Christian community. Ephesians 2:20

Ephesians 2:20 KJV 1900

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Why both apostles and prophets?

Prophets prophesied of what was to come. Apostles prophesied of what has come.

Prophets existed in Old Covenant. Apostles existed in the New Covenant.

And these scriptures are a means by which Christ preserves his people in the midst of a fallen world.

Illustration: Light in the Dark Psalm 119:105-112

Kid’s Pause: The Word of God is how God gives wisdom and protection to His people today.

This is what we should be struggling for:

scriptures that keep us in the midst of a highly deceptive teachers and in the midst of a fallen world. (more that Swiper No Swiping)

scriptures which guide our path and light our way in the midst of darkness.

apostolic doctrine which exalts the centrality of Jesus Christ and our constant need for him.

God has been so faithful to provide us the means whereby we not only are saved but whereby we are preserved blameless unto his Heavenly Kingdom, yet, we are often distracted from this worthwhile struggle.

The good news of the struggle: Christians are preserved in Jesus Christ.

The good means of the struggle: God has given his word as a means of preserving his people.

(iii) The good work in the Christian struggle: exposing of filthy dreamers Jude 8

As we contend for the faith, the words of the apostles this exposes the deception we are susceptible to and thereby leads to our preservation.

(1) Likewise - filthy dreamers choose their dreams over the OT scriptures.

In the first Manifesto of Surrealism (1924), André Breton declares that at the start of the surrealist movement, he was “completely occupied with Freud” and was particularly impressed that the psychoanalyst had drawn attention to the importance of dreams for understanding human existence.9 Indeed, Breton comments that he has always “been amazed” at the fact that people attach more importance to things that happen when they are awake than to what they dream about when they are asleep. - Trueman, Carl R.. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (p. 274). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Application: Let the speech of the scriptures be louder than the speech of your dreams.

The OT has stories that are instructive for us today.

(2) these filthy dreamers - the scriptures expose

traits of those who rely upon their own dreams:

defile the flesh - justify their immorality

Apply it...

Quote:

We might summarize this sentiment by saying that the great attraction of dreams is that the dreamer is able to be whoever or whatever she wants to be in whatever kind of world she chooses to envisage. Of course, the identity of the dreamer is somewhat complicated, given that dreams are not the actions of a conscious individual but rather the manifestations of the unconscious. And that points to the basic contention that it is the unconscious that is the real bedrock of individual identity, the thing about the person that is most real.

Dreams are therefore to be regarded as a potential source for thought and for solving the most basic problems of life.

Trueman, Carl R.. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (p. 276). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

despise dominions - despise the lordship of Jesus Christ

Apply it...

speak evil of dignities - despise the law of God - Acts 7:53

Acts 7:53 KJV 1900

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Apply it...

Kid’s Pause: We should be led by scriptures rather than by our own dreams.

Transition: this all seems really bad and really concerning.

The good news of the struggle: Christians are preserved in Jesus Christ.

The good means of the struggle: God has given his word as a means of preserving his people.

The good work in the Christian struggle: God's word exposes filthy dreamers.

(iv) The good news of the Christian struggle: Christians are preserved in Jesus Christ Jude 24-25

Jude 24–25 KJV 1900

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

How can we be sure that this struggle for the scriptures will end in the way we hope, because we are kept by God our Savior.

What is this subtle choice of words by Jude?

It is to say that Jesus is God and has the power to empower and preserve those who are truly his.

That is also to say that those who are truly his will struggle for the scriptures, for the apostles doctrine, for purity of doctrine that results in purity of life, for doctrine that promotes purity in the flesh, for doctrine which promotes submission to the lordship of Jesus, for doctrine which is promotes submission to the law of God.

How can this be?

Because if you look at the life of Jesus, you will observe what Matthew says,

“I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill.”

Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly. If you listen to the words of Jesus, you will find him often saying, “It is written...” showing his struggle for the scriptures.

Yet, in spite of this struggle, you might tend to think that it was not worthwhile. That is until your remember that even on the Cross he is quoting and fulfilling scripture.

You might tend to wonder if the struggle is worthwhile, that is until you remember the empty tomb. You may wonder if Jesus cared much for the scriptures after His resurrection, that is until you read Luke 24 and realize that he gives a lesson on how to study the scriptures to his disciples.

You see, Jesus struggled for the scriptures in life so that he might die for those who were rebellious to the word of God. Jesus was preserved through death by the word of God so that He might be able to offer life to those who receive Jesus as Lord.

To what end is this life that you have received?

It is to the end that he might preserve you as you struggle for the scriptures until you are brought before His glorious presence. It is Jesus who has made this struggle possible.

Are you struggling for the scriptures in your life?

Senior Citizens, you are struggling for health, retirement; but are you struggling for this worthwhile struggle?

Young Parents, what is distracting you from remembering this worthwhile struggle? As busy as you are, do you always have some means of communication which distracts you from remembering the words of the apostles?

Young Adults/Teens, are the phones, the gaming systems, the clothes…are these things evil? No. Then, what is really the problem? It’s that they keep us from remembering what’s really worth struggling for.

Career Person, you have to provide for your family, don’t you? But is that really the issue? Have you forgotten that the real worthwhile struggle, the means through which God preserves his people is his word?

Sinfully lazy person....

Lost....

The Bible is full of stories of people who struggled for various things:

Illustration:

You may not be real familiar with the prophet Jeremiah. Among the many events in his life there is one story that I want you to consider.

Jeremiah is instructed by God to make straps and yokes or cross bars and to put them on himself. These items were to be an illustration showing that the nations, including Judah, would be brought under the yoke the bondage of Babylon.

Jeremiah is then instructed by the Lord to tell Judah and the surrounding nations that they will all be brought under the bondage of Nebuchadnezzar, and if they would enter into that bondage peaceably would be allowed to stay in their land.

As part of Jeremiah’s message, he is to call out the false teachers who are telling the people that they would not go into bondage to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar.

On one occasion, Jeremiah is before King Zedekiah of Judah. There one of the false prophets sees Jeremiah with the yoke upon his neck. The false prophet Hananiah approached Jeremiah, took the wooden yoke off of his neck, broke it, and falsely prophesied that the oppression of Babylon would be eliminated within two years.

Jeremiah went away and the Lord spoke to Jeremiah saying, “Go and tell Hananiah, “Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.”

Jeremiah proceeded to tell Hananiah, “The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie…Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.”

Hananiah, the false prophet, died in the 7th month of that same year.

The struggle for the Christ-centered scriptures is the worthwhile struggle for this is the means through which God preserves his people to the end.