The Twisting of Truth and What We Need to Contend For the Faith

The enemy that attacks from within attacks the hardest, inflicts the most damage.

Fifth columns, friends that you rely upon, those that you confide in, that you invite to eat at your table, those you trust.

But betrayal from these people is a pain that is deeply painful.

It is tragic.

And even more so when that trusted individual is a leader.

There are not many things more tragic in the life of a church when leadership fails.

Whether it be a pastor, a priest, a minister, a youth group leader that engages in some kind of abuse or steals or teaches something antithetical to God and his word.

Deep pain happens.

I have lived in Ottawa almost 18 years.

And since coming here, I mean, almost from the beginning, I've been involved in Christian ministry.

And if you've been in Ottawa for any amount of time, you would know that the church community is in a city of a million people, very tight.

Everybody is maybe two degrees removed, three degrees removed from somebody in another church or in another denomination.

So, when things go awry or when abuses happen, the entire Christian community feels it.

I know I have, and especially recently, in the past two, three years, it is a tragic, tragic thing.

A very painful thing.

We begin our new Lenten sermon series in Jude.

We're going to be in Jude for five weeks over six weeks.

We're going to spend five weeks in Jude, but it'll be over six weeks.

And we're going to take a look at Jude, which is the smallest body of work in the New Testament.

And it is the only one not written by an apostle.

It's very apostolic in its content.

But Jude himself was not an apostle.

However, this is not a book to overlook.

Jude writes with intense authority.

He writes with an edge, this Jude.

And maybe that's just the way you have to write when you have 25 verses, when you're limited, when you have a short letter.

Jude, rather, he is addressing false teaching done by false teachers.

He is seeing that there is a great problem within this church.

It's an unnamed church.

And he wants to see it corrected before it blows up.

So he doesn't sugarcoat anything.

This man is edgy.

I like him.

He also worries me, in a sense, when I read it, because I feel the edge, personally.

Secondly, he wants to address this issue of bad leadership that is causing havoc in the church.

So on one hand, he is an edgy church leader himself.

But on the other hand, he is soft and tenderhearted.

He loves the church.

He does not want to see the church fold.

He doesn't want to see the church crumble.

He doesn't want hurt to be sown through the church.

He wants the church to thrive and for people to enjoy the goodness and beauty of gospel living.

Jude is a man with great resolve.

He is courageous.

He is rock solid in his convictions.

So he writes this letter to encourage the church in the faith, that they would stand firm.

And a lot of letters in the New Testament are written to churches that are facing a lot of pressure from without.

Pluralistic societies existed in the first century, in the early church.

It seems like it's a perennial problem in the church.

But Jude's primary concern is the strife that is happening within.

It is a deeply in-house letter.

And for those in leadership, like myself, and some of you also who are in leadership in the church or will be in the future,

it's a giant gut check, this letter.

So this morning we're going to look at Jude.

We're going to look at the introduction that Ken read, verses 1 to 4.

And in it we'll witness three things.

The first is how Jude reminds God's people of who they are in Christ.

First thing he does.

The second thing that Jude does is Jude encourages God's people in what they need from Christ.

And then the third thing Jude addresses is how God's people ought to contend for the faith alongside or with Christ.

So Jude, again, reminds God's people who they are in Christ,

encourages God's people in what they need from Christ,

and helps God's people to know how they ought to contend for the faith with Christ.

So we'll look, point one, how Jude reminds the people who they are in Christ.

And look with me, the second half of Jude, verse 1.

And it says this,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.

This is a standard, in a sense, address of how epistles work.

There is a greeting to a specific group of people, those that are called, or the beloved in Christ.

So Jude is not doing something new.

However, Jude is going to get into some very, very intense issues that will take a lot of courage.

And what he is doing right off the bat is reminding God's people who they are.

He is, in a sense, establishing, once again, reminding these people where their foundation is.

He is giving them confidence in the gospel afresh.

They are called, they are loved in God the Father, and are kept in Jesus.

And it's interesting, before we even get into those points,

do you see the Trinitarian overtones in that opening sentence?

To those who are called, the calling of people into the faith is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Beloved in God the Father, we are in right relationship with God the Father once again.

And then we are kept for Jesus Christ.

That is, we will be, in a sense, given the strength and resolve in Christ to make it to the final judgment.

We have all three members of the Trinity at work in God's people in the second part of Jude, verse 1.

One God, three persons.

And that's no mistake.

To know the God that we are serving, the God that we bend our knee to, it is deeply foundational.

So to speak of the Trinity often and always is a very important thing.

To understand that there is only one God, but in the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit is a part of salvation in this way,

and God the Father in this way, and God the Son in that way.

We don't just pray to God the Father and see Jesus, you know, he's done his part on the cross,

he can sit over there, or that the Holy Spirit merely calls us and excites saving faith in our hearts,

but I can do without the Holy Spirit.

Or it's just Jesus only.

Our emphasis is on Jesus only and everything else, God the Holy Spirit, God the Father, fades into the background.

It's not like that.

We are people who follow one God in three persons, and it's deeply important that that's a part of the foundation.

So notice first, though, and we'll move on, the three things that Jude reminds us of in his letter.

The first is that we are called out of darkness, that we are called.

Called into Christ's glorious light.

This, of course, is a reference to salvation.

However, Jude seems to be alluding to something that stretches farther back than what Christ has done on the cross.

I mean, Christ on the cross is the culmination of salvation history,

but who else do we read about in the Old Testament that was called?

We see Abraham.

Abraham was called.

He was a pagan polytheist that was from a part of Mesopotamia.

He was not God's people initially, part of God's people initially.

But what happens?

God calls him out of Ur of the Chaldeans or the Chaldeans, this foreign land.

He calls him out of polytheism.

He calls him out of paganism, of a type of life that is very anti-gospel, anti-God.

And what Jude is trying to say by using this language that we are called by God, by Christ,

is that we stand in this unbroken chain of God calling his people out of darkness, beginning with Abraham.

That in the New Testament, we don't have some kind of new religion that pops up in history 2,000 years ago,

where it had maybe scant reference to centuries or millennia beforehand.

No.

This is the culmination of one story that begins at creation,

but that really begins, in a sense, with Abraham being called out of a distant land

and given promises by God of blessing.

Jude is telling the church and telling us this morning that we stand in that blessing,

that we are Abraham's children.

We look to Abraham, in a sense, as the father of our faith.

This faith, this being called, is the way that God has always brought close those who are far away

so that they may be blessed and be a blessing.

Before Jude even gets into the issues of the false teachers,

he reminds the church that you have been called.

You have no business, in a sense, being a part of God's family,

but you have been called by God in the same way that Abraham has

and that the blessings and promises that Abraham didn't truly see,

you get to live into as a Christian.

It's a beautiful reminder for them and for us today of who we are in Christ.

Notice also that the Christians are beloved in the Father.

This has in mind that we are loved by God and loved in God.

It's a bit of a double meaning, that the love of God,

in a sense, it is the reality of those who are made right with God,

whose sins are no more because of Christ,

but it also speaks to God surrounding us and enveloping us in his love.

So in a sense, it's a bit of a double promise.

That God, he calls us out, he saves us from the life that we lived

and also the danger and the calamity outside the world, the flesh, and the devil,

but it also speaks to God strengthening us from the inside,

giving us spiritual power to do the things that he has called us to do.

Trust and obey.

We sang earlier a fantastic song,

Impossible Without the Spirit's Help.

Notice finally that the Christians in verse 1 are kept for Christ Jesus.

And June mentions this four times throughout his letter, so it's a bit of a big deal.

It speaks to this ultimate future that we can look forward to

when the dead in Christ will be raised from the grave.

And it speaks to God's faithfulness to us,

that the work he has begun, he will see to completion.

That if God saves, he will save to the end.

In a sense, when he says Jude,

when he says that we are kept for Jesus Christ,

it gives us deep assurance

of the degree and the strength

of the salvation that God extends to us.

That if you are a part of his church,

if you have faith in him,

that God's grip on you

is much stronger than your grip on him.

I heard a wonderful

illustration,

and to be perfectly honest,

I forget where I heard it from

this week,

but the idea that we hold on to God

in the same way that,

say, a three-year-old holds on to their dad

their dad's hand as they go into a pool.

And very quickly,

as a two- or three- or four-year-old

holds on to dad's hand

as they go into a pool,

their grip, in a sense,

is less important

than dad's grip on their hand.

The slope going into the deep end,

or at least the deeper part of the shallow end,

it's too much

for a young child to endure,

dad needs to hold on to that hand.

And likewise,

God,

his grip on us

is far stronger than our grip on him.

And praise God for that.

This is what is being reminded,

this is what Jude is reminding us

this morning,

his church back then,

but also us

this morning.

This is very important because

the church is corrupt,

Jude tells us.

It's unorthodox,

it's abusive,

it's greedy,

it's given to sensuality,

that's a catch-all term

of all sorts of different

sexual immorality and debauchery.

And it's in light of that

that we could easily,

easily be swayed or discouraged

and let go,

in a sense,

of Christ.

But he does not let go of us.

Jude reminds us of that.

So,

before addressing the issue at hand,

Jude has reminded his people

who they are in Christ.

He has reminded his people

not in a way that's just

kind of like a hype speech,

an inspirational speech

before a big championship game

or a battle

between two opposing sides

on the battlefield,

but it's a reminder

that they are loved by God

and that he alone

fights their battles.

It is he who strengthens

their weak knees

and it is he who will provide

what is needed for them

to endure and to thrive

in the midst of such great trouble.

Jude is clear to this church

and to us here this morning,

we are people that are precious to God.

And that's not a sentimental

preciousness,

so to speak.

It is a preciousness to God

that is backed with truth

that we can rely on

eight days a week,

all the time.

He has saved us from sin and death

and has made eternal promises

a blessing to us

that go to the end of the age

but begin right now.

He reminds us that God

will not leave those

he has called

that he will not forsake

those he loves.

We need to be reminded

of this often.

This is one of the things

that Israel,

we see in us as well,

that they have to constantly

be reminded.

I've said this in the past,

but the most common

exhortation to Israel

in the Old Testament

is remember.

And why is that the case?

Because we're prone to forget.

Jude is reminding us

of who we are in Christ.

The second point,

and this is in verse two,

that Jude encourages God's people

in what they need from Christ.

So look with me

at verse two.

May mercy, peace, and love

be multiplied to you.

Mercy, love, and peace

in abundance.

The church is reminded

that they have been

shown mercy by God,

especially when it comes

to the final judgment.

No longer are we

sons of wrath,

we are sons of God.

And when I say sons,

sons and daughters,

but I say sons specifically

because what God gives us

is firstborn son status.

If you don't like being

called a son,

if you're female,

the church is called

the bride of Christ,

so it kind of goes both ways.

Firstborn status

as a son

is who we are.

And this is because

of the mercy of God.

This mercy is to be imitated,

especially,

and this is critical

for the rest of the letter,

to those who are courting

or just full-on

into apostasy

and heresy.

If God will accept

the heartfelt

contrition and repentance

of those that are penitent,

should not we?

And more than that,

such mercy leads

to repentance

that God accepts.

What is the point

of seeking mercy

to a cold

and unmerciful tyrant?

The fact that mercy

is even extended

to us speaks

to God's character.

And this is interesting

because during our

communion liturgy,

we pray this prayer

called the prayer

of humble access.

Now, we pray

an adaptation of that,

which I don't know

if I'm,

we've adopted it

from our sending church

and our sending church

is fantastic,

but I actually

kind of love

the original

from the 1662

book of common prayer.

notice,

notice that

this is a prayer

called the prayer

of humble access,

that we come to God

because of the mercies

he's extended to us.

Listen to how

mercy is described

in this prayer,

specifically how it

connects to God.

This is what it says.

You might know it.

It has a bit of a cadence

to it.

We do not presume

to come to this

thy table,

O merciful Lord,

trusting in our

own righteousness,

but in your manifold

and great mercies.

We are not worthy

so much to gather up

the crumbs under thy table.

I'm not going to read

the whole thing,

but this is the last line

and I think the most

important line.

But thou art the same Lord

whose property

is always to have mercy.

It's his very character.

It's who he is.

In the same way

that you could say

God is love,

you could say

God is mercy.

This is who he is.

Mercy,

mercy,

mercy.

Mercy.

Friends,

our God delights

in showing mercy

at salvation

and then throughout

our sinful lives

as we stumble

towards eternity.

So we ought to

in the same way

show mercy to others.

Not easy.

Almost impossible.

How do you show mercy

to somebody

who has hurt you

but who has then

sought forgiveness

and who has truly

been penitent

we look to Christ

for that.

We receive

mercy

so that we then

can show mercy.

And what follows mercy?

It's peace.

This is the second thing

that Jude says.

May mercy

and peace

be multiplied

to you.

So peace

is critical

for the health

of our souls.

We must receive

the peace of God

so that we can be

at peace

with God.

God.

So interesting

that so much

of our connection

to God

is God

making

the connection

with us.

Him

taking the initiative.

Him reaching down.

Him doing the things

that we can't do.

And God continues

to give peace

not just at salvation

but as he holds us fast

amid calamity

and peril.

this does not

imply zen

calm.

This is not

a few deep breaths

type of peace.

It's great.

It's wonderful.

But it is a peace

that is connected

to an assurance

that God

is stronger

and greater

than storms

and calamities.

That God

will hold us fast.

in the next section

Jude will describe

some of the problems

that the church

is facing

and it is

very concerning.

I thank God

that our church

has not experienced

any of this.

I mean

to be perfectly honest

if the church

without God's

provision

and strength

your pastor

would likely quit

if half

of these things

happened

in our church.

Jude is going

to describe

some awful things

and yet

he is going

to also say

that peace

is to be multiplied.

Their faith

is likely

to be shaken

but he prays

that God's people

would enjoy

God's peace

in this situation.

This peace

does not allow

the believers

to falter

but to see

the end.

Finally

we see love

mercy

peace

and love.

Love is given

in abundance

as well

but in this case

it has a specific

focus.

It is a love

that has an

animating power

that helps us

to walk in

obedience

and faithfulness.

As we receive

God's love

in redemption

he continues

to give that

love in abundance

and it invigorates

us to live

lives that are

pleasing and

acceptable to God.

So what does

Jude do?

He encourages

the church

to look to

Christ for

mercy,

peace,

and love.

They're to

animate

and equip us

as we contend

for the faith.

Imagine if it

was omitted

my first point

the second part

of verse 1

and in

verse 2

and we just

the letter

Jude

a servant

of Jesus Christ

boom

right into

verse 3.

No reminder

of who we are

no encouragement

in a sense

to be equipped

by God

and it went

directly

into

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.

I mean

in many ways

we would crumble

under the pressure.

It would be

very difficult.

I'm supposed

to do this

by myself?

There's certain

people that have

crept in unnoticed

who long ago

were designated

for this condemnation

ungodly people

who pervert

the grace

of our God

into sensuality.

I'm tapping out

to find somebody else

I can't do this.

But you see

when verse 1

and verse 2

are put before

verse 3 and 4

we realize

that it is not

in our strength

that we are

to contend.

It is not

for our glory

that we are

to contend

but it is God

and God alone

who gives

the strength

for his glory

for his renown

and all of a sudden

we see

the immovable

all powerful

completely holy

immutable God

and then we look

at the problems

great as they are

in front of us

and we see

who we serve

and there is no comparison.

We are on the right side

we are with

the right warrior

we have the right strength

we have the right courage

because it is all

in Christ.

So let's look

finally

then

at

our third point

how Jude

reminds God's people

how they ought

to contend

for the faith

with Christ.

so I'll read

verse 3 and 4 again

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

for certain people

have crept in

unnoticed

who long ago

were designated

for this condemnation

ungodly people

who pervert

the grace

of our God

with sensuality

and deny

our only Master

and Lord

Jesus Christ.

There's a lot

at stake here.

The faith

that is

the Christian church

rooted and sustained

in the life

death and resurrection

of Christ

is being actively

attacked

not from without

but from a virus

within.

There's parasites

that are eating away

at the life

and the health

of the church.

It's not from without

it's not be

it's not an attack

from Roman authorities

it's not rival

pagan religions

it is from within

false teachers

that are in the church.

This is not a disagreement

by the way

about a secondary issue.

There's a lot

of secondary issues

even tertiary issues

things that are different

from denomination

or church to church

that don't

not matter

they matter

but they don't

touch on the core

of who God is

and what God has done.

This is talking

about core issues.

They are attacking

Jude says

the common salvation.

Now common

does not mean

ordinary

or unexceptional

but the shared

and widespread

unifying

single message

of salvation.

salvation.

There's no other

salvations.

One church

can't see Christ

as fully man

fully God

and the other

church over here

sees Christ

as an actor

wearing a mask.

It's just God

who takes the

identity of Christ

but then sometimes

he wears a mask

like God the Father

and sometimes

a mask like

God the Holy Spirit

or maybe

Jesus isn't really man

but only spirit

or maybe he's just man

and not spirit

but he's a very holy man.

No.

There's a common

salvation

that is rooted

in the person

of Christ

fully man

fully God

and in his

once for all

salvation

that he won

on the cross

his sacrifice

at Golgotha

that when he died

and rose again

he defeated death.

This is the common

salvation.

This is at its core

the nature

of God.

The salvation

is exclusively

found in Christ

because only Christ

could achieve

a salvation

for people

whose predicament

was so dire.

Our redemption

was so impossible

to achieve

unless God

himself

achieved it.

That's why

that's why

it's one faith

because there's

only one Savior

and only one God.

God.

That's why

we must not

reduce the salvation

to an understanding

and a sense

of conversion

alone

but understand

it to be

more robust

and rich.

So Jude here

and we'll see

this over the

weeks to come

Jude has in mind

salvation

from condemnation

that there's

salvation

from judgment

from punishment

from conviction

from destruction

that this

salvation

that is

offered to us

by Christ

is completely

completely

it envelops us

there's no area

of our life

it does not touch

no part of us

that needs redeeming

that it does not

redeem.

This is the faith

that's worth defending

and contending for.

Notice that

this contending

isn't for

just the clergy

but it's for

all Christians

does not mean

if you're

again kind of

feeling like

I do not feel

like contending

for the faith

I'm somebody

who's a

behind the scenes

person.

Okay understand

that God has

made you in a

certain way

everybody is not

going to contend

for the faith

in the same

type of way

but nevertheless

contending for

the faith

is for all

Christians.

For all

Christians

whether you are

laity or

clergy

because there is

only one kind

of Christian

those that are

saved by Christ

I am no

more holy

than you

sitting in

these orange

chairs at

Holy Redeemer

I have a

different role

in the church

but I am the

same sinner

in a sense

that is saved

by Christ

as you are

we are all

called to

contend

for the faith

and how do we

contend for the

faith?

The word used

here is

very much

an aggressive

type of

contending

and again

that doesn't

mean you

have to be

aggressive

but it means

you have to

be active

in contending

for the

faith

whenever the

faith is

misconstrued

whenever it's

perverted

whenever there's

a grave error

that leads to

other things

that are called

salvific

or looked to

for salvation

that certainly

are not

Christ

that is when

we push back

that's when we

ask questions

when we

when we do

not go

along

and we

resist

things that

are not

of Christ

orthodoxy

matters

it just

does

it does

I mean

there's

different

expressions

of the

faith

in different

contexts

in different

parts of the

world

in different

traditions

but orthodoxy

does not

change

the core

of our

faith

cannot

change

and that

is what

Jude is

calling us

to contend

for

this is why

we are

serious about

confessing

and declaring

the creed

together every

week

but notice

that the

creed

confessing

it is

not enough

if it was

enough

the Anglican

Church of

Canada

or the

Presbyterian

Church of

Canada

or the

United

Church of

Canada

they would

be rock

solid

robust

in their

orthodoxy

but they

have not

they've

drifted

into

teachings

that do

not

resemble

the

gospel

of

Christ

they

departed

from the

very

faith

that

Jude

is

commending

us

to

contend

for

our

faith

it is

a beautiful

thing

but it

can be

uncomfortable

and there

are

pressures

to

adjust

things

to lean

into

nuance

a bit

more

to

explain

things

away

or to

talk

about

yeah

that was

it's a

tough

saying

in the

Bible

but

it's

cultural

and yes

there's a

place to

talk about

cultural

specifics

or there

is nuance

in

God's

word

but

are we

talking

about such

things

because

there's

an

embarrassment

and I

will say

first

thing

I had

a

conversation

with

somebody

on

Friday

you

believe

in

three

gods

no

not

really

and then

I'm

stumbling

over my

words

and

eventually

the guy

was very

gracious

I was

able to

explain

something

but my

first gut

reaction

was

yeah I

don't know

how to

explain

this

this is

really

hard

and it's

kind of

embarrassing

and it

seems like

a contradiction

and I

don't want

to be

a dummy

in front

of anybody

how about

doctrines

around

human

sexuality

how about

doctrines

around

gender

roles

how about

different

doctrines

around

exclusivity

which

ultimately

means that

our

Mormon

friends

or our

Muslim

friends

or our

atheistic

friends

are

not just

wrong

but they

are deeply

deeply

in error

it's a

hard

conversation

to have

but this

is what

our faith

proclaims

and the

pressures

from without

can cause

us to

make

compromises

within

and Jude

is saying

contend

see we

have

often

times

our

default

is

it is

to bolster

our own

reputation

and

contend

for our

own

reputation

and our

own

glory

but not

Christ's

when it

should be

the opposite

what do

I mean

the

apostle

Paul

in

Philippians

he's

addressing

some

issue

where

there

are

people

proclaiming

the

gospel

because

they

are

envious

of him

and they

are

jealous

of him

and he

goes

I don't

care

as they're

preaching

the gospel

what do

I care

if I

look stupid

in this

as long

as Christ

is glorified

as long

as the

gospel

is going

out

as long

as people

are

and the

idea is

that they're

preaching

the orthodox

gospel

he's like

what do

I care

but if you

go to

Galatians

the apostle

Peter

is

screwing

around

with the

gospel

he is

adding to

the gospel

and Paul

he is risking

his own

reputation

in standing

in the church

and he

confronts

Peter

for the

glory

of Christ

because in

the end

the apostle

Paul is about

Christ's glory

over his

own

and if

I'm

honest

it's

the

reverse

nine

times

out of

ten

and if

you're

like me

it's

probably

something

similar

Jude is

saying

be about

God's

glory

contend

for

orthodoxy

stand

for truth

even if

you might

be called

a dummy

even if

you look

stupid

even if

you

offend

not because

you're

rough or

brash

but because

gently

and mercifully

and with

kindness

you state

the truth

I stand

on the

shoulders

as a

minister

in the

Anglican

Network

of Canada

that is

our

denomination

I stand

on the

shoulders

of

George

Sinclair

and David

Short

and David

Crawley

just a few

names

Ray David

Glenn

men

and women

as well

who left

the Anglican

Church of

Canada

almost 15

years ago

because

they spent

almost two

decades

trying to

call the

church back

to orthodoxy

contending for

the faith

and they

ultimately had

to leave

the church

I asked

George

recently

he's the

minister

downtown

he mentored

me and

really is a

huge part

of this

church

the life

of this

church

I asked

him like

what was

the fallout

from that

he said

people had

nervous

breakdowns

like a

lot of

people had

nervous

breakdowns

it was

tough

we're

flesh and

blood

like you

have the

world kind

of collapsing

in their

world collapsing

in on them

okay we're

going to stand

for the truth

we're going to

contend but it

was really

really difficult

people lost

parts of their

pensions

their names

were dragged

through the

mud

a lot of

people still

meet in

schools

and community

centers

after leaving

gorgeous

beautiful

stained glass

historic

buildings

that

that burns

it does

but is it

worth it

I think so

our church

our church

is around

because of

people contending

for the

faith

but how

does

the need

for contending

how does

that even

happen

how do

these

perversions

come about

in the

church

much like

all issues

they come

slowly

and unnoticed

the whole

frog in a

pot of

boiling water

small

compromises

that mount

fear and

cowardice

that masks

itself as

niceness

and mercy

look again

at verse

four

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

Jude says

that

people have

crept

into the

church

unnoticed

which would

imply that

people were

not contending

for the

faith

and that's

not to

say

that we

ought to

have a

hyper

fundamentalist

group of

people

that are

splitting

hairs

that are

getting into

outrageously

long

discussions

about

minutia

of doctrine

that some

theologian

600 years

ago

gone to

some kind

of fight

with three

other people

that believed

in it

like ridiculous

things

no

but it

means

contending

for

orthodoxy

I mean I'm

going to say

that a lot

contending

for the

truth

is an

exceptionally

strong

command here

to contend

because the

teachers that

have crept in

are exceptionally

strong

they're

deceptive

and we also

can see that

this is a bit

of a perennial

problem in the

church so it's

not just we

are living in a

tough time right

now although in

some ways we

are but it's no

different from any

other generation

every generation

must contend

our temptation

is

is to

pretend like

we are in

the good days

and I've said

this actually a

number of times

and I believe

it it's true

but this type

of thinking

if it's clung

to or

celebrated too

much maybe

this is a bit

of a problem

I have said

that we are

in like a

honeymoon a

sweet spot

with our

church like

when

when will

this shoe

drop I

don't think

it will I

think it's a

beautiful thing

but that kind

of mentality

as wonderful

as it is as

as beautiful

as these two

and a half

years have

been it

can

cause us

to be blind

to the

slow

introduction

of false

teaching into

the church

we must be

on guard

we must

contend

there are

always

difficult

truths

and falsehoods

that come

into the

church

it was the

same in

2024

as it was

in 1807

by the way

that's

when the

abolition of

the slave

trade

happened

happened

in 1662

the restoration

in a sense

after the

civil war

1517

with Martin

Luther

1384

is the

year when

John

Wycliffe

was

was martyred

because he

stood for

the truth

the 11th

century

the 6th

century

5th

on and on

all the way

to the

beginning

there's

always

difficulties

perennial

problems

in the

church

that we

need to

contend

for

the faith

is always

at risk

it has

always been

the case

throughout

the entire

Bible

so it's

not simply

that Jude

here is

talking about

listen

there's

something

that has

happened

in this

church

it's new

to the

life of

God's

people

no

Jude

will give

and we'll

see this

in the

weeks

to come

nine

different

examples

from the

Old Testament

or the

Hebrew

Bible

of opposition

to God's

salvation

these false

teachers

in the

church

that is

why there

is a

reference

to long

ago

it says

this in

verse 4

it's

to say

in a

sense

that the

issue

of false

teaching

has always

been

and will

always

be

always

at its

core

this false

teaching

it says

at the

bottom

of verse

4

is this

denial

of

Jesus

as

sovereign

and

Lord

that

somehow

we are

in charge

and God

is not

the throne

of our

hearts

the throne

of the

church

in a

sense

is no

longer

Christ

but is

our

own

it

always

has

to do

with

the

sovereignty

and lordship

of God

and it's

so interesting

that throughout

the Old Testament

and we'll touch

on this

in a couple

weeks

because Jude

references Sodom

and Gomorrah

but whenever

there is a

false

doctrine

or when

orthodoxy is

abandoned

or when this

false teaching

comes in

there always

seems to

be

sexual

permissiveness

sensuality

debauchery

that mixes

itself

into false

worship

throughout

the church's

history

into the

Old Testament

even I mean

we see it

in some ways

even with

Noah

after the

flood

false worship

has an

interesting

relationship

with sexual

immorality

we'll touch

on that

in weeks

to come

so what

are we

to do

well

I'll go

back to

verse 1

and 2

we are

to remind

ourselves

and each

other of

who we

are in

Christ

and we

are to

feed on

Christ

what he

has done

for us

in his

word

at the

table

remembering

that he

has extended

to us

mercy

peace

and love