This exposition of Jude 3-4 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, December 9, 2018.
Intro:
I, by nature, am not confrontational. I don’t like having to deal with difficult situations. I want to smooth things over. I want everyone to get along.
[sections collapse="always"][section title="Read More"]
Yet there are times to be confrontational. There are times you must step up and do the uncomfortable or unnatural thing. I find that it’s really not that difficult when it involves something I care about. If someone says something about my wife, my kids or grandkids I can get confrontational in a hurry. The gospel is worth getting confrontational. When eternity is on the line, it’s worth being uncomfortable. The church is worth getting confrontational. The church is the bride of Christ, he gave his life for the church, when the life and well being of the church is at stake, it’s worth being uncomfortable. Jude, the bond servant of the Lord Jesus and the brother of James felt an urgent need to write to some struggling believers in a difficult spot to urge them to earnestly contend for the faith. This evening we come to consider verse 3 and 4 of his carefully written letter.
Text: Jude 3-4
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 into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude (Judas) was the half brother of the Lord Jesus.
He is the brother of James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
He would have been well known in the early church.
He is writing to Jewish believers (well versed in the OT, Jewish history/tradition).
He writes a carefully constructed letter that reads more like a sermon.
The underlying theme of the letter is the sovereignty of God.
It is God who saves us and it is God who will keep us.
He is writing in the mid to late 60’s and yet false teachers are already present in the church distorting the truth. Jude makes it clear, there is a very serious matter.
As we work through this text we are reminded that…
Thesis: False teaching and godlessness have dire consequences therefore believers must love the truth enough to stand against error and contend for gospel faithfulness.
There is a dual motivation running through this letter: love for the truth and love for the brethren.
Truth matters and people matter.
It’s not one or the other - it is both and.
There are just two things I want to point out this evening.
- Gospel integrity demands we diligently guard the truth entrusted to us. (3)
It is a faith that is unique - Gal 1:23 - “the faith I once tried to destroy”
It is a faith that is unchangeable - once and for all given/delivered
It is apostolic - delivered, given, entrusted, handed down orally. - Genuine love for the brethren demands we confront errant teaching and immoral behavior within the church. (4)
[/section][/sections]