Build Your Church: On the Love that is Jesus
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17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Introduction
Introduction
In the shortest book of the New Testament, Jude, one of Jesus’s brothers, writes a short letter to an unnamed church.
He tells them (the church) and us (the reader) in verse three that he was already very eager to write to them.
He wanted to write to them about their mutual salvation in Jesus, but instead, as we read in verse three:
Jude 3 (ESV)
...I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith...
When I hear this word Contend or Contender, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood living room where contenders like George Forman, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Oscar De La Hoya duked it out in the ring on our tiny, early 90s CRT television.
We get the word “contend” here from the Greek “epagonizomai” (eh-pawg-oh-knees-oh-may).
This word isn’t found anywhere else in scripture, but the boxer imagery is fitting.
It means to struggle for or fight for.
So you’re probably asking, why exactly was Jude telling this unnamed church to fight for the faith?
He gives us two reasons, one internal, and one external.
Internally:
In verse four Jude tells them that false teachers have crept into the church unnoticed.
Externally:
In verses 18-19, Jude says that there are scoffers, mockers—folks who are keen to make a mockery out of the church and cause divisions.
As we look at the church today, there are just as many internal and external attacks.
Ope, there’s another church scandal.
There’s another church split.
Here’s this outside group with their agenda.
Here’s this inside group with their poor witness.
These attacks from all sides are nothing new.
Jesus’s own brother—not long at all after Christ walked the earth—saw the very kind of thing that we see today.
As we’ve been praying and preaching around this idea of Build Your Church—and not just Broad River Church, not just the global church, but the church that you and I are both individually and collectively called to be—I’m reminded of this passage of scripture:
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 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.
Church, God is taking us somewhere today, and I don’t want you to miss it.
Church, God is taking us somewhere today, and I don’t want you to miss it.
No matter how many directions the arrows seem to fly, no matter how many false teachers come to roost, no matter what the scoffers and the mockers say:
The church is built upon the cornerstone of Jesus and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!
Don’t hear this word today and think that this is “Us” versus “Them.”
Don’t hear this word today and think that this is “Us” versus “Them.”
It ain’t like that, church family.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Jesus said it like this:
Jesus said it like this:
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
This is a year of overflow.
This is a year of overflow.
As we’ve seen already this week, God is building his church through:
The Cornerstone that is Jesus
The Hope that is Jesus
The Joy that is Jesus
After reminding us of the external attacks, Jude points to just one thing as the antidote: The Love that is Jesus
After reminding us of the external attacks, Jude points to just one thing as the antidote: The Love that is Jesus
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
How do we keep ourselves in the love of Jesus, as Jude instructed?
How do we keep ourselves in the love of Jesus, as Jude instructed?
The answers are right here in verses 20-21
1) We Build up our faith (v20)
1) We Build up our faith (v20)
The bible tells us very simply in Romans 10:17 that:
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
To build up our faith we must spend time in God’s words and hearing God’s word preached.
2) We pray in the Holy Spirit (v20)
2) We pray in the Holy Spirit (v20)
When we pray in the Holy Sprit we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire our prayers.
26 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.
15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
3) We Wait for Christ’s return (v21)
3) We Wait for Christ’s return (v21)
Jon Courson says, “How it affects my priorities, how it changes my perspective, how it alters my emotions when I say, ‘Lord, today I’m going to look for Your coming.’ Today might be the day, dear saints. What a difference it makes when we remember this.”
44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God is building his church through:
The Cornerstone that is Jesus
The Hope that is Jesus
The Joy that is Jesus
The Love that is Jesus
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
As Courson put it, “Happy is the man or woman who understands that the gospel message is profoundly simple and simply profound. It’s Jesus—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”