Perseverence of The Saints
Notes
Transcript
Throughout this short letter from Jesus’ half brother Jude, we have focused on two major topics;
Apostasy/Apostates; Somebody who has received the truth and he has rejected the truth and now begins to ridicule the truth, falling away and distancing oneself from the community that holds to those beliefs.
Contending for the Faith; intense struggle, defend with passion, continuous devotion. Fighting for the faith is not easy; it hard work, diligent study, a willingness to stand for the gospel while society wants to water it down, speaking up for the timeless truth of the faith in a ever changing society.
As we come to the close of this letter, Jude challenges his readers to Persevere! That’s what i want to talk about this morning, “The Perseverance of the Saints”
Text; Jude 17-25
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
Persevere- continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success:
There are three things we need to do to Persevere; Remember, Build Up, Evangelize
1. Remember God’s Word; 17-19
1. Remember God’s Word; 17-19
Remember the words of the apostles [Lord] about apostasy/apostates.
[18-19] We are in the last time/days;
Jesus has come;
20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Increase in Apostates/Apostasy
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
We must remember the difficulty that will take place in the last times and continue steadfastly in our course of action contending for the faith!
2. Build Up Our Faith; 20-21
2. Build Up Our Faith; 20-21
Build- construct, strengthen and establish [context/Holy Faith]
Holy Faith- We must continually strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. We must stick to the Truth of the Scriptures regardless of what others do!
Theological liberals discard elements of the faith once for all delivered to the saints as they acquiesce to the whims of the culture. Kirby Godsey, former president of Mercer University [1979-2006], who in his book Centering Our Souls writes,
Jesus’ death was not some cosmic drama by which Jesus was trying to appease God’s wrath. Jesus did not have to die for God’s grace to be released upon a torn and crippled world.
. . .
We do not have to repent, or to confess. We don’t have to do anything to win God’s forgiveness.… When the light breaks, we begin to see people, friends and enemies, as children of God’s grace. (Godsey, Centering Our Souls, 12, 46–47)
Shaddix, J., & Akin, D. L. (2018). Exalting jesus in 2 peter, jude (Jud 17–23). Holman Reference.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Church is not about making you feel good, but making one holy!
Spirit filled Prayer- humbly submitting ourselves to God
Pastor Ronnie Floyd of FBC Springdale, AR. “Power of Prayer and Fasting”; If we are going to come to Him, we must get on His ground, operate on His terms, and let God do what He wants to do.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Prayer is not getting our will done from heaven, but God getting His will done in us!
Keeping yourself in the love of God- it is our responsibility to maintain fellowship in Christ.
John 15:9–12 (NKJV)
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Divine blessing is promised only within the sphere of obedience to God!
Looking- for daily mercy in these last days expecting Christs’ return
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
If we are to build ourselves up on our most Holy Faith then we must be more like the Bereans.
11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
3. Evangelize; 22-23
3. Evangelize; 22-23
Evangelize- preach the Gospel to encourage and/or convert one to Christianity
[22a] Compassion- This is encouraging with the Gospel those weak converts who are doubting their faith because of the apostates.
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
[22b] Rescue the Perishing- we are to preach the gospel unapologetically as if peoples garments were already being singed by the pits of Hell!!
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
We have the opportunity this week in VBS to evangelize the hearts of boys and girls who are being filled with the lies of liberalism, to know Truth in Jesus Christ!
And in doing so, you will be encouraged in Christ as well!
4. Assurance of God; 24-25
4. Assurance of God; 24-25
When I began this series in Jude, it was entitled “Assurance in the Times of Apostasy”
Even in the trials and times of false teaching we live in today, the Lord is able to keep you.
Keep you from Stumbling
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Present you Faultless
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
In Exceeding Joy
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Close;
We are living in the days of the last times even now. And only by the grace of God can we “saints persevere” in these days of apostates and apostasy.
His grace is sufficient for all and in all things.
Have you accepted God’s grace this morning through the Nail Scarred Hands of Christ?
Are you “persevering” in His grace as a child of God?