A Call to Persevere

Letter of Jude starting in verse 17 will go to verse 23, but you must remember beloved the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions is these who cause divisions worldly people devoid of the spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, and have mercy on those who doubt save others by snatching them out of the fire to others should show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh is spring your the Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, the Lord, you are exalted as head above all, both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all your hand are power and might, in your hand it is to make great to give strength to all. We now thank you and praise you are God and praise your glorious name, we ask that you would be with us this evening.

We pray that this worship service would be pleasing to you. That would be an honor to you this evening. We ask that you would bless the preaching of the word this evening in your son's name we pray. Amen.

See it. I was to ask you, what would you think about when I say the phrase an attack upon the church. That is what Jude is writing about in this letter he's talking about and apostasy within the church is talking about an attack from false teachers when I think of persecution. I tend to think of, kind of, you know, an oppressive government. I think of an unbelieving world coming down on the church were the sort of an us versus them sort of mentality there's clear lines between the church and their oppressors, us versus them. Remember the book tortured by crop tort portrait for Christ by Richard room brand. He was in Romanian. He was punished for being a Christian.

He was tortured brutally by the government. We think of Christians in communist China. I we think of today even in Iraq and Syria. Many Christian refugees are fleeing the persecution. There these are all examples of eradication eradication is is very different from what's happening here in the letter from Jude.

What we see in this letter is more infiltration we see in infiltration into the church where many people are claiming to be Christians but though they claim to be a brother and sister in the faith. As we give further examination of their faith.

We see that there preaching a different gospel. If you'd asked me see where you see the church today in America.

What is our situation.

Currently, we Israel back in Exodus, are we under an oppressive government regime. Are we being infiltrated like here in Jude not have to say were probably closer to Jude because when you look at the church in America there are false teachers and entire denominations that claim to be Christians. Yet they have denied the Bible they they see Jesus as a moral example. They reject the message of the atonement and it gets to a point where we have to ask ourselves as the church. What do we believe as followers of Jesus Christ. What unites us as Christians in the church of Jesus Christ. What is a Christian witness look like, what is our witness to a lost and dying world and what we see here is that Jude is calling the church to guard the deposit. Paul told Timothy guard deposit that is protect the message of the gospel and Lord willing, if we are to find out what these false teachers look like we could detect them and to further protect the gospel witness and so what we need today. It is a clear Christian witness that believes in heaven believes in hell believes the necessity of Christ and salvation.

It's only found in him we need a clear message on the person and work of Christ in the best way to do that to combat false teaching in the church is to strengthen within that is to build up within the church. We want to start at the ground level and start to build up the church and to encourage one another and to keep ourselves in the love of God and subdued. Here, the brother of James is calling us as the church to persevere. That's the message this evening is this call to persevere. We do this by building ourselves up keeping ourselves in the love of God. Prayer and the Holy Spirit. So starting in verse 17, but you must remember beloved. This is a term of endearment to those in the church he's writing the believers and he's pointing them back to the prophets and the apostles. He's pointing them to the message from Scripture. Now he doesn't count himself among the apostles most likely he's referring to the original 12 disciples, but verse 17 parallels the previous text.

Second Peter chapter 3 verse two says that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets in the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. When Jude is writing this letter, the faith is his new it's fragile and so there's a particular emphasis on guarding and protecting the message of the gospel. Paul even knew about this back in acts chapter 20 starting in verse 29.

It does. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among your own selves will arise. Men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them, therefore, be alert remembering that for three years. I do not cease, day or night and admonished everyone with tears. Paul's heart was heavy for the church, knowing that this infiltration of fierce wolves and false teachers were coming into the church and he's worried about those who cause divisions. These worldly people. Those devoid of the spirit in one of these people look like we see in verse four as certain people have crept in unnoticed ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only master the Lord Jesus Christ perverting the grace of God is to take the doctrine of grace and to twisted to distorted and ultimately to give the grace of God as a license to sin. Think James spoke about this this morning very well as to say this is an opportunity for people to say now that I'm saved I can do whatever I want. I there's no call to obedience.

This is what we call antinomianism and timing against non-losses. The Greek word for law. The idea is that someone is acting as though obedience to God does not bear any weight upon the Christian religion verse seven, it mentions Sodom and Gomorrah if if the issue is sensuality than Sodom and Gomorrah. As mentioned, this kind of an impulse to say it most likely Stockholm sexuality and many denominations have embraced at the PC USA, the ELCA, the United Methodist my own denomination back home. The UC state. Many have embraced homosexuality, but even they are.

This idea is more generic. It's not highlighting one specific sin, but general sexual immorality justifying said sin and twisting the grace of God.

This is exactly what antinomianism is impulse in Romans six, we heard this morning are we to continue in sin that grace may abound by no means some translations say may it never be. How can we who died to sin still live in it reminded that were bought with a price would cost God the father, his son cannot be considered cheap grace to us.

It's a costly grace.

The cost God the father, his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But in verse eight. There are many that are citing dreams is authoritative.

People say God told me every false teacher in the history of the American church have an cited some claim that there a prophet in God is whispering in their ear. I think of David Karesh and Jim Jones Kenneth Copeland Benny Hinn all have claimed to have this revelation from God. What better way to isolate yourself from any sort of criticism than to say I'm a prophet you can't disagree with me McGinnis's mark of a false teacher. Verse 12 that they're looking after themselves. Again, back to the prosperity gospel preachers flying into Third World countries on their private jets asking thousands of impoverished people with sick and dying children to give their last dollar to these ministries. The same false teachers are blaming those same people for their hardships and you don't have enough faith give me more money and you have faith to believe and then gonna solve these prompts. Creflo Dollar back in Atlanta told his church, God wanted him to buy a $68 million private jet in the can't stop him from dreaming use the Bible as a way to extort the church and again millions of dollars. With all these false teachers coming in. Jude is encouraging us detect these false teachers to know them when you see them in the church if we know the truth and we center ourselves on the truth of God's word.

We can know the counterfeit when we see it, but here Jude is not just talking about those false teachers but he once again to encourage the church and that's what I want my focus to be this evening as we go into second point, keep yourselves in the love of God starting in verse 20 that you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. It leads to eternal life right there in verse 21.

If you see it. Keep yourselves in the love of God that is our main phrase this evening to keep yourselves in the love of God.

How do we do this we go to verse 20, building yourselves up in your most holy faith second is praying in the spirit and third when we do this we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ leads to eternal life.

The goal here is to keep ourselves in the love of God, so keeping ourselves consist of these three things but notice also that we are kept by God. If you go back to verse one Judah servant of Jeep Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the father and kept emphasis here We are commanded and 21 to keep ourselves, but also in verse one it says that God is keeping us sweet of God is keeping us or we keep ourselves. We have to decide.

Verse 24 comes in how to him was able to keep you from stumbling again to for God keeping us one for we keep ourselves in verse 21, and so which is it. I think the perseverance of the saints to week. Persevere ourselves.

Are we preserved by God answer is yes.

Verse one we are kept for Jesus Christ. That is by God the father.

We see that God's sovereign hand is holding on to those that belong to him. Verse 21 comes in and says yes while you're kept keep yourselves build yourselves up. Pray in the Holy Spirit wait for the promise of God and these eternal realities that are to come sink, keep yourselves in the faith father saving us to the sun.

Jesus Christ is the spirit that comes in and indwells believer that allows us to pray in the Holy Spirit, and so now we see this first idea of building ourselves up again. This is an active role of the Christian is to build yourselves up in the most holy faith illustration used by Peter and Paul. They both talk about a building Paul in Ephesians talks about the prophets and the apostles being the foundation of the church. Rachel, I have a building going up behind our own apartment building UC for four months there working on this foundation is a building this big tall building and the time in the efforts put into establishing a strong foundation in this building, but back in biblical times. There was a God stone or a cornerstone that would be the stone on the corner. Obviously that will establish a pattern for the rest of the rocks that established the foundation in Psalm 119 tells us the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Christ is our cornerstone. Jesus is the cornerstone that all the prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament they are establishing the foundation for the Christian church.

This is our foundation and then first Peter chapter 2 comes in we like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, you and I are the stones that are building the house of God.

We are the believers that are part of this holy priesthood, the spiritual house, but again, notice were built up, built up as a spiritual house were built up as a holy priesthood, so again it's God working in them were coming in working as well.

Hebrews 10 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, let our hearts be sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful God is faithful to not us is not based on our faithfulness that were saved.

It's based on God who is faithful that holds onto us. But now verse 24. Let us consider Hebrews 10 verse 24. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of Psalm, but encouraging one another and let all the more as you see the day drawing near were to hold fast together as the church were to hold onto one another thinking of those stones brick-and-mortar that there holding fast to one another in establishing the house of God in Paul when he spoke of Christ being the head of the church.

We think of us being the body of Christ. Some of us are hand serving in the nursery.

Some of us our feet, going out and sharing the good news everyone in the church is serving a role but I think about this body and and let's see if you were to to lose a thumb. I think of carpentry and somebodies cottonwood long ways and are getting near the bandsaw and they lose a thong when they just think well my thumb can get reattached later. None of this is this is an emergency. We have to go right now there's a sense of real urgency.

We need to get ice when you that ice the family to rush to the hospital so that we can reattach it. Yet there are Christians that will separate themselves from the body of Christ and thinking that they can operate without any encouragement. Without any teaching or preaching of the word of God. There is no life apart from the vine. It has to be attached. You have to be with God's people and receive the nourishment that comes only from being in communion with other believers and so we are to again stir up to encourage to strengthen as we are kept again as we are kept by God.

That's really important. The main thing here is that God keeps us. It's God acting first to the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells believers that gives us faith to believe but then right then he turns around and again commands us to keep ourselves and again I want to be clear, this is not faith plus works. This is of 0% man and 100% God. God saves we are saved by faith in faith alone, but true faith is never alone. There's always gonna be in evidence full commitment to justification by faith. But we need to be clear here that then were called to work with all our might. So whatever you eat or drink whatever you do, do all to the glory of God to build ourselves a bit and secondly were to pray in the Holy Spirit, Lord's prayer, Jesus gives us a model on how to pray. First Thessalonians 5 says that were to pray without ceasing. Matthew Henry gives a very good definition. I'd like to share with you our prayers are most likely to prevail when we pray in the Holy Spirit, under the guidance and influence. According to the rule of his word. With faith, fervency and earnestness. This is praying with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit.

When Paul describes pray in the Holy Spirit. He also talks about in the context of the armor of God. Ephesians 6 we have the shield of faith, we have the helmet of salvation and we have the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and then he says, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication.

To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints with with faith and salvation, and the word of God present is praying God the Holy Spirit would work. In doing so he is giving us a model of how to pray in the Holy Spirit. William Col. wrote the book the Christian in complete Armour. He said prayer is the creatures act. Again we keep ourselves, but the spirits gift.

We are kept. We act God gives when the Holy Spirit gives help to the believer in prayer, suitable affections in every area of prayer stirred up the spirit creates an aching heart.

When sin is being confessed he brings forth a deep sense of need. When God is being suffocated. And when the Lord is being praised the spirit carries the heart on high upon the wings of love and joy's the spirit of God that raises us up that raises our affection makes us sensitive to send. We confess our sin to God but also strengthens us in the faith, grown all also emphasized how we are to encourage one another. He emphasized to the fellowship of believers. Your heart may be warmed at their fire meaning other saints other believers in the church and from the savor of their graces be drawn thyself to the love of holiness as we are around older and more experienced saints that can encourage us in the faith. Our faith is then stirred up his encouraged rumor around other believers were praying in the spirit together praying and fellowship with other believers, that it would stir us up to energize us that we would walk by the Spirit that would act in a way that God would show that we are bearing fruit. It's in evidence of the Holy Spirit within us. Years ago, John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's progress. He said run John run the law commands but gives us neither feet or hands have no hands or feet to even run.

What is that even mean that we are to run as the law commands we can't we can't keep the law perfectly.

He follows the pieces far better news the gospel brings it bids us fly and gives us wings gives us wings to fly gives us the power to believe, gives us and enables us to believe in Christ and reminds us that we cannot do anything apart from God. There we wait we look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ leads to eternal life. Psalm 42 David cries out, my tears have been my food day and night, and while they say to me all day long. Where is your God.

David is being mocked and scoffed at weights on the Lord praise in the spirit God would be with him while he's attacked on every side we hear of his love for the world we seek, we seek it out.

We want to know what we want to know what David knew he wouldn't do it. Abraham new. We want to be like the Saints of all that read God's word and cherished it and nip it that we would hold fast to the confession of our hope that we would see these promises in God's word and then think forward to the realities of heaven. We want to wait and look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ leads to communion with God.

For an attorney. Third, I want to point to showing mercy to those who doubt helping those who are losing the fight of faith again were to encourage one another and stir one another up. Many are not encouraged, not stirred up and what they need is encouragement from believers in different strategies or for different people. I you know sometimes is just a need for the Bible to be explained to think for our younger members of the church. They have a lot of questions.

They just need to hear the Bible explained to them. It's not just out of sheer rebellion. They just don't know the faith they don't know the gospel, we need to continue to teach them.

They have honest questions and call on us is just to be a faithful witness to them how they will. Shelley how the will they call on him in whom they've never believed and how are they to believe in whom they've never heard. How are you that believe in the gospel when you've never heard it weird to be a witness and to go out and to share the gospel with those that don't know it, but then also there are some older believers just need to be reminded not that they don't know the gospel is just I need a reminder of the love of God and while hearing the gospel that the law would come in and be a tremendous weight on them that they would confess sin and be driven to the grace of God. Much of the Old Testament is just talk about how God's people have over and over forgotten God's covenant blessings and they needed to be reminded of God's promises even considering how God had about a been very patient with you and I how long-suffering the Lord has been with you and I ought we to turn around and show that same patients in that same long-suffering to those that do not know him called as Christians to encourage one another, who were here and it Sunday evening.

I kinda think of the people that come to a Sunday evening service to hear me. Deftly, a committed member of the church, but so much more their people on the edge that are straying away, drifting away and that's exactly what it is. It's a slow steady drifting away and we can come into harsh with our correction.

What we ought to be is careful and considerate and compassionate, long-suffering.

Verse 23 also tells us save save others by snatching them out of the fire to others who show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Verse 12 tells us they feast with you without fear, there is no law in their gospel message only knows that come in Sunday morning and the slowly drifting aminos that are already out of the church. There is a sense of urgency to bring in the law that if they were to simply hear the law of God and the reality of Jude is talking about that there is about promise. Jesus tells us in Luke 13. Three. Repent, you will likewise perish as a warning in Matthew 25 verse 46.

All these will go astray into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life is contrasting the believer in the unbeliever, heaven and hell.

Because of our own temptation to be liked. Sometimes we do not tell the truth in love, and the call on the Christian for some is to be a mercy to them and show some urgency and to tell them quickly before it's too late. I think of our little ones you know are on our little little ones with.

They were running out in the parking lot and if they were running toward the street and I saw a car coming I'm knocking away and now I'm going to just run over there and try to snatch them up before a car comes by but here were not even talking about this physical life were talking about eternal life.

How much more important is it to pluck those out of the fire that are facing a potential judgment for an attorney work giving them this gospel of grace that can save them and bring them into communion with God. Show them the mercy and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ need to be plucked out of the fire and were to show mercy with fear mercy to sinners on behalf of Christ with fear that they might neglect such a great offer. This offer is given in and there simply trampling underfoot were to be a continual patient, compassionate witness to those who have rejected know when someone has professed faith in God and starting astray. The commandment here, though, is to plead with them to draw them back. This is friends. This is family members. This is all those did do not believe but again the warning here is also be careful, be carefully hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

We are going in and rescuing someone from a sinful atmosphere. There is a sense, where you can be drawn back in yourself.

We have to be careful that when you reach out that you yourself can be vulnerable to temptation and to be careful lest you also be tempted. As your drawing them back in. So in closing I think of three things and it's right out of our text, build yourselves up in the faith God builds. He is building us up, but also the personal responsibility is on the Christian to encourage one another to go to God's word, to speak the truth in love.

Point one another to the promises of God in Christ.

Second, pray in the Holy Spirit. Pray with other believers pray incorporate worship service tonight, but also getting together with other believers and just praying, spending time together establishing prayer treads prayer partners pray with the trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he has secured these blessings for all Christians, and finally, keep yourselves in the love of God are waiting for the mercy of Jesus Christ, leading to eternal life spring heavenly father we come to you in the name your son and it is through him that we are kept were held onto that we can trust in the gospel that it belongs to us. You will not let go of anyone belongs to you will never cast out anyone belongs to you.

Show them we pray on