Contend For The True Faith Pt. 1

Sermon Transcript

What do you contend for? To you, what’s worth fighting to have, what’s worth striving to preserve, what’s worth contending to defend? What do you contend for? Here in America, we recently celebrated the Fourth of July, commemorating the day in 1776 when delegates from the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. But the Revolutionary War between the American Colonies and Britain didn’t actually end until 1783. In the years between, thousands and thousands of people contended and died to end tyranny and enjoy the inalienable rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence. For the colonies, freedom was worth contending for. How about you? What do you spend your hours and days contending for? We’re all contending for something. Is it worth it?

The Letter of Jude was written to appeal to men and women, boys and girls, who follow Jesus to contend for what matters most. Jude 1:3 – 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. That brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning: Contend for the true faith. The true faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ and its application to everyday life, is worth striving for and preserving. More than you contend for anything, contend for the true faith.

The letter of Jude is divided into two parts. The first part addresses why we should all contend for the true faith and the second part, which we’ll cover next week, teaches us how to contend for the true faith. But before we explore why to contend for the true faith, since I know you’ll want to put this into practice right away, let me briefly summarize what the second half of Jude says about how to contend for the true faith. Contend for the true faith by keeping yourselves in the love of God and by mercifully helping others do the same. Contend for the true faith by keeping yourselves in the love of God and by mercifully helping others do the same. We’ll explore how in detail next Sunday, but for now let’s turn our attention to three reasons why we should give our days and lives to contending for the true faith. 1. You are called, loved and kept by God (vv. 1-2) 2. God’s grace is being perverted (vv. 3-4) 3. Perverting God’s grace leads to eternal punishment (vv. 5-16)

YOU ARE CALLED, LOVED & KEPT BY GOD (vv. 1-2)

Jude 1:1 – Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. That’s a very interesting way for Jude to begin the letter. He calls himself James’ brother. James was the Lord Jesus Christ’s half brother, a biological child of Mary and Joseph, which means that Jude is also Jesus Christ’s brother. However, Jude doesn’t mention that because his family background isn’t his primary identity. The way Jude thinks about himself, his identity, the truest thing about him and all Christians is that we are servants of Jesus. Can you imagine what relief we’d experience from anger, depression, temptation and what self-forgetting joy we’d experience if we too considered and described our primary identity as “servant of Jesus Christ”?! Let’s continue reading.

Jude 1:1-2 – Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: [2] May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. I love the way Jude describes who we are as Christians: those who are called and beloved by God and kept for Jesus Christ. Think about what that means. Have you come to saving faith in Christ? It’s not ultimately because you wisely chose Him, but because he graciously called you from death to life. Have you come to love God? It’s because God first loved you and in love predestined to adopt you as his son or daughter in Christ. Do you still love God? It’s because the Father is sovereignly and mercifully keeping you in his love for the sake of Christ. You are called, beloved, and kept. That’s who you are. Why is it so important to know and experience that truth about your identity? Well, it determines the emotional tone and vibe with which we contend for the true faith. The emotional tone of contending for the true faith isn’t fearful, uptight hopelessness. Rather, it’s joyful, confident, and prayerful because our Father has done the calling and is doing the loving and the keeping. We contend for the true faith, we keep ourselves in God’s love and mercifully help others do the same with an eager confidence and joy because our identity as Christians is: called, beloved, and kept by the Father. The “doing” of contending for the true faith flows out of the “done” of the Father’s grace to us in Christ. That’s the first reason why we contend for the true faith and it determines the tone and vibe of our contending. Contend for the true faith first because you are called, loved, and kept by God. Ferguson: You have to go backward into what Christ has done before you can go forward into what you must do. Second, contend for the true faith because….

GOD’S GRACE IS BEING PERVERTED (vv. 3-4)

Let’s return to the big idea of Jude’s letter. Jude 1:3 – 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. It seems that Jude wanted to write a letter more like Paul’s letters to the Romans that mines the riches of Christian doctrine. Unfortunately, Jude was compelled by present circumstances to write a letter appealing to the believers to contend for the gospel, the true faith; the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The Apostle Paul summarizes the faith that was once for all handed down by the apostles in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

What compelled Jude to appeal to these Christians to contend for the true faith? Jude 1:4 – For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now that’s very interesting. Jude doesn’t say that he wants the believers to contend for the true faith because it’s being undermined doctrinally, but because it’s being perverted morally. The words “pervert” and “sensuality,” along with the context of the letter, make clear that the particular problem was sexual sin. Jude appeals to his readers to contend for the true faith – to keep themselves and one another in God’s love – because certain members of the church are perverting God’s grace into an excuse to indulge sinful sexual desires. It’s a common temptation. The Apostle Paul dealt with this perversion of grace in Romans 6:1-2, writing, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means!” Citylight Church – contend for the true faith because perverting God’s grace into sensuality is a common temptation and an all out denial of Jesus Christ, turning him from the Savior from sin to the excuse for sin. It’s easy to think of perverting God’s grace into a license for sensuality as a problem out there. We can think of the many mainline, liberal Protestant denominations in America that use God’s love as an excuse for tolerating and promoting homosexuality, premarital sex, adultery, and unbiblical divorces. But the Letter of Jude reminds us that the problem isn’t exclusively out there, but right in here. Who of us hasn’t perverted the grace of God into an excuse to feel ok about our own sexual sins? Who of us isn’t tempted to pervert God’s love into a license to sin? We must contend because this temptation is so common.

I want to offer a few practical ways to contend for the true faith against the temptation to pervert grace into sensuality. First, if there is any ongoing sexual sin or temptation in your life – whether in your mind, on a screen or with a person – that you’re excusing because God is gracious, then stop perverting God’s grace and start using God’s grace as His strength that enables you to drive a fresh nail through your sexual sins and temptations each day. Second, invite at least one other follower of Jesus into an honest relationship with you in which you contend for one another in against the temptation to pervert God’s grace into sensuality. Ladies – When it comes to accountability against perverting God’s grace into sensuality, men have been at this for years, but many of you haven’t even begun yet. Ladies – when was the last time you invited another sister to lovingly and consistently hold you accountable to kill the temptation to read inappropriate romance novels, to kill the temptation to entertain romantic fantasies about a man who isn’t your husband, or the temptation to seek attention from a man because you feel your husband isn’t giving you attention? Loving encouragement away from perverting God’s grace into sensuality is for men and women, not just men. Finally, married couples, contending for the faith against perverting God’s grace into sensuality, means protecting one another from temptation by intentionally working toward frequent and mutually satisfying physical intimacy. Speaking about protective nature of frequent physical intimacy in marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:5 – Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Dear friends, contend for the true faith – keep yourselves and one another in God’s love – first because you are called, loved and kept by God and, second, because in every generation God’s grace is being perverted into sensuality. Finally, contend for the true faith because…

PERVERTING GOD’S GRACE LEADS TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT (vv. 5-16)

The third reason why we must contend for the true faith – striving to keep ourselves and one another in God’s love – is because turning Jesus from the gracious Savior from sin to our excuse for indulging a life of sin leads to eternal punishment. Jude 1:5-16 is one long warning that perverting God’s grace leads to eternal punishment. Now, why does the God of grace warn us about judgment? Well, because he is gracious. God’s warning about eternal judgment is his gracious means of keeping us in the true faith and in his love. When God warns us about the eternal judgment that comes to those who pervert God’s grace into sensuality, we should respond to the warning by running away from sin and into God’s grace for mercy and strength in our time of need and temptation. Jude begins the warning by citing three examples from the OT when people perverted God’s grace into sensuality and came under God’s judgment for it. Jude’s point is that God hasn’t changed. If we pervert God’s grace into sensuality we’ll experience judgment, just like they did in the Old Testament. So, contend for the true faith and keep yourselves in God’s love.

The first example Jude draws upon from the Old Testament is Israel when the Lord saved them out of slavery in Egypt and then made a covenant with them to be their God and have them as his people. In their case, in Numbers many who were rescued from Egypt refused to believe God’s promise, enter into the land He promised to them and suffered judgment. In fact, Jude says that it was the Lord Jesus Christ who saved them out of Egypt, which is a wonderful reminder that Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament and all Scripture is a testimony to Christ. The second OT example is the angels or sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 who didn’t stay within their God-given place of authority, had sexual relations with human women, and incurred God’s judgment. The final example that Jude cites from the Old Testament is the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah who indulged unnatural homosexual desires and received God’s judgment. Jude 1:7 says that these serve as our “example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Their example of undergoing eternal punishment for perverting God’s grace is why we contend for the true faith and keep ourselves and one another walking in God’s love.

At this point it’s possible you’re thinking that the Holy Spirit, through Jude, is being a bit harsh toward those who pervert God’s grace into sensuality. Therefore, in Jude 1:8-13, Jude lists the kind of sins that accompany perverting God’s grace into sensuality, lest we think the warning too harsh and not receive it for the grace that it is. According to Jude 1:8-10, those who pervert the grace of God into sensuality tend to be an authority unto themselves and refuse to submit to God-given authority. In Jude 1:8-10, Jude cites an extra biblical story, probably from a piece of literature called Testament of Moses to make his point. It’s not that Jude believed that the Testament of Moses was Scripture, rather he simply cites it because it was known by his readers and helped make his point. We get the flavor of their sin in Jude 1:8 – Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. Second, in Jude 1:11-13, we learn that those who pervert the grace of God into sensuality tend to be greedy to serve themselves and, therefore, useless in the service of others. Jude cites three biblical figures who were discontent with the life that the Lord gave to them and, therefore, broke out into rebellion. He cites Cain who killed his brother Abel because the Lord regarded Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s (Genesis 4). He cites Balaam who was willing to betray God’s people for financial gain (Numbers 22; 2 Peter 2:15). Finally, he cites Korah who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, seeking to usurp a position that the Lord had not given him (Numbers 16). Finally, in Jude 1:14-16, we learn that those who pervert the grace of God into sensuality tend to be discontent grumblers. To prove his point, Jude quotes an extra biblical piece of Jewish literature called 1 Enoch. 1 Enoch is not Scripture, but Jude quotes it because like many pieces of religious literature that are not Scripture, it speaks truthfully about God’s judgment. We receive the final flavor of sin that those who pervert God’s grace indulge in. Jude 1:16 – These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

Friends – the Holy Spirit through the Letter of Jude could not be clearer: those who pervert God’s grace into sensuality will suffer eternal punishment because they deny Jesus as Savior from sin and turn him into a license to sin. So, run into the arms of the real Jesus who is full of grace and mercy. God called you out of your death in sin to new life in Christ! From eternity past, God set his love on you and 2,000 years ago he sent his Son to live, die and rise to save you from your sins. The Father who loved you from eternity past, called you to himself through Jesus, is the same Father who is keeping you. Let his warning move you to run into his arms of grace and receive mercy and grace to help in your time of need. The real, unadulterated, and unadjusted grace of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is enough to forgive all your sins and set you on a whole new direction. Contend for the true faith by running into His arms of love.