Jude 20-‐21 Building Your Faith A sermon delivered at Calvary Chapel DC Metro www.calvarydcmetro.org
If you go to the grocery store, the magazine racks are stacked with covers promising you 30 days to a better body, 6 weeks to washboard abs, 3 simple tricks for better biceps. Well, this morning, you’re going to get 4 simple steps to a growing soul – which, if you didn’t know, is infinitely more valuable and durable. We pick things up in Jude 20 where Jude cuts a sharp contrast in his letter. He’s been warning us about the creeps – that’s what we’ve called them – people who were creeping into the church looking to use religion and faith and spiritual experiences for their own purposes instead of for worshipping God. And now he turns his pen back to the faithful and says: 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. So those are our four steps: build, pray, keep, and look. They’re actions you can, and should, take to grow spiritually. But before we get to them, I want to go back and enjoy something else with you. It’s the fact that, in making this contrast, between people who are on the right course and people who are not, Jude calls them, and calls you and me, what? Beloved. “But you, beloved…” Now, if you’re a Bible nerd – and that’s a good thing to be – but if you’re a Bible nerd, you know that there are three commonly used Greek words for love: eros or physical love, phileo or brotherly love, and agape a word popularized by the early Church in their efforts to communicate the love that God has for us and that we should have for each other. When Jude calls us “beloved” the word in Greek is agapetos. That’s the word he uses for people who are true Christians – to distinguish them from those who are in the church but aren’t in Christ. This is the name he uses for people who are in a right relationship with God: agapetos, beloved. And he uses it three times in this short little letter. Three times in 25 verses he tells you: you are loved. It seems like he’s trying to emphasize something. I think, in the midst of talking about the heavy subjects Jude is discussing, God wants you to know – you’re loved. And that makes you unique. It makes you distinct. “All of this about them…But you, beloved….” Christian, you need to understand this and what it means. It means you have a place where you belong. You have a family in the church, with God as your Father. You have a position, Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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you have a role, you have a part, you are accepted. “In this world you may have trouble,” Jesus said, “but” He continued, “take cheer for I have overcome the world.” Some of you are new to the city – maybe far away from home, far away from family and your old group of friends. You’re trying to figure out where you fit in at work, at school. Some of you teens and young adults are trying to figure out your place in this world. Some of you singles are wondering what the rest of life is going to be like and whether you’ll find a good spouse. We’re all wondering, worrying, in different ways: am I valued? Do I fit? Am I wanted? This is one reason why people post online and then obsessively check back to see – did that get liked, how many people saw it, who commented on it? Social media has instant feedback metrics to tell you who likes you and then you can either feel good about yourself or absolutely miserable as a result. You say, we’ll I don’t even have Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or whatever. OK, but do you get impatient or worry or wonder “Did so and so get my email? I haven’t heard back. Why is this taking so long?” You’re hoping for a response – you want to know that you were heard. We’ve all probably had at least one read-‐receipt monster at work, right? They send you something and request a read-‐receipt so they know you’ve gotten it. And now we can do the same thing with texts – I can see whether you’ve read my message I not. I know if you’re blowing me off or not. I want you to read it and respond, because I want to know that I’m important to you. I want to know that I’ve been heard. I want to know that in this enormous world of 6 Billion people and Terratons of data that somehow I matter. Christian, I want you to know, Jude wants you to know – God loves you. You are accepted. More than that, you’re chosen. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; More than that, you were sought out. Jesus said Luke 19:10 “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And more than that, you were purchased. Paul encouraged the Ephesians elders Acts 20:28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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Christian, God doesn’t just let you in – He seeks you out, hunts you down, and pays for your redemption through the blood of His Son. There is a flood of refugees flowing out of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan right now, thousands upon thousands of people streaming up into Europe every day trying to escape the war and poverty of their homelands. Our friends at Calvary Chapel in Budapest and from the Bible College in Hungary are reaching out to them, taking them food, blankets, sleeping bags and trying to reach out in Christ’s love. These refugees are looking for a place to settle and find peace, so they’re walking thousands of miles on foot, carrying their only belongings, they’re tired, and they’re looking for countries that will let them in. But what if instead of having to go through all that work and effort on their own, what if some country sent an ambassador to them, in their own country, and issued them a new passport with new citizenship immediately and then offered to travel with them to back to their new country? Now, I’m not here making any commentary on immigration policy, but it’s a useful analogy, because Christian, this is what God has done for you. He comes to you and says, I’ve got a better place for you, and I’ll take you there. You aren’t just welcomed into the Kingdom of God if you have the endurance and the drive to get there. No. God comes to you, makes all the arrangements Himself, at His own expense, and guarantees you a place to belong. And then, the Bible tells us that He is with us: “never to leave us or forsake us.” “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.” Christian, I want you to know – the Bible says you are beloved, agapetos. That’s truth. That’s foundational truth. And I’m not making a big deal out of little thing – just so you know, the Bible uses this word ‘beloved’ to refer to Christians over 50 times in the New Testament. James, Peter, Jude, John the Apostle of Love, and most of all, Paul, use it in their writings to speak of those who are in Christ. And more than that, God the Father uses it when He speaks about Jesus. Do you remember what happened when John the Baptist baptized Jesus? They heard a voice from Heaven saying, what? “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” The Bible uses the same word for you Christian, as it does for Christ: beloved, agapetos. And that is why there is such a contrast between the man whose life is ruled by sin and the man whose life is ruled by God. Do you remember what Jude said about the others? Look back up at verse 19: Jude 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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These people who walk according to the flesh cause division – they cause separation, they remove people from relationship. That’s what sin does. It separates. It separates us from God, and it separates us from others. But when we walk in the Spirit we produce the fruit of the Spirit which is love, which draws us closer to God and closer to one another – it makes us beloved by God and beloved by others and it leads us to show love to God and to show love to others. Remember the Great Commandment – that you would love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Remember the words of Jesus: “By this all men will know you are my disciples: by your love for another.” (John 11:35) But, as John reminds us in 1 John 4, it all starts with God. He says, “we love because He first loved us.” So Christian, you have an identity: a valuable, desirous identity, but you received that identity, you didn’t earn it. God bought it for you and brought it to you. He loved you and demonstrated that love practically on the cross of Calvary and now He calls you beloved. Christian, that is how you are seen by the church of God and by the God of the church. You belong. But, if we go back to the analogy of the refugee, we find ourselves with a passport, with a new citizenship, with a Holy Spirit ambassador inside of us, and fellow refugees alongside us, but we still have a journey to take. And Jude tells us there should be four markers in our lives as we go. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith So, the first marker in the life of a healthy Christian is that you are building yourself up in faith. This is a positive marker – a marker of forward progress and development. It’s telling us that there should be growth in our Christian walk overtime. I think of a young soldier or sailor or Marine or airman, they’ve completed boot camp or officer training – they’re in. But they’re not going to stay a private or a lieutenant forever. They will grow in rank and responsibility on the basis of their performance, education, and experience. That same kind of progression is normal for Christians as well. There should be evidence of spiritual growth in your life. Paul was disappointed with the Corinthians, because, he said, Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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1 Cor 3:1 …[I]could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal…
The writer of Hebrews shares a similar disappointment with his readers: Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Both authors have an expectation that over time, Christians will grow in the faith. That faith in Christ is the cornerstone of our spiritual understanding and practice, but once that cornerstone is in place, we begin to see how it shapes everything else in our lives, and over time we ought to see the presence of Christ in our lives having an distinct impact on the shape and tenor and direction of our lives as we are “building ourselves up in our most holy faith.” Of course, we’re not just looking for depth, and breadth, and height. We’re looking for substance and dependability and durability too. This is why Jesus talks to us about the wise man building his house upon the rock so that the when the floods and winds come, it doesn’t fall down. Times will come to test your faith. Seasons of doubt and difficulty will come. And in those seasons, in those storms, you need a firm foundation and solid walls. So Christian, take a look at your life – do you see growth, do you see progress? Do you have any good intentions, or past convictions that need to be put into practice? Any projects you need to get around to in the house of your soul? If so, get after it. Prioritize it. Stop putting it off – ask God for guidance and for resources, whatever you need, but if there is something that needs to be done for the sake of maturing in Christ, do it and watch yourself grow. That brings us right to our next marker: Jude says healthy Christians ought to be “praying in the Holy Spirit.” This is another theme we hear echoed throughout Scripture. In Ephesians 6 we find that famous passage about the Armor of God. Pay attention to how it ends: Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…
This is the culmination, the pinnacle – this is how spiritual warfare is really fought – in prayer – “prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” But what does that mean? Well, if you remember, we spoke last week about Jesus’ remark in Matt 12:34 “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So, what comes out of us is a reflection of what is going on inside of us. When we pray in the Spirit we’re allowing what God is doing in our transformed hearts to become the priorities in our prayers. Galatians tells us that it is the Spirit of God in us that cries out in prayer. Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 1 Corinthians also tells us that the presence of the Spirit in our hearts makes a difference in what comes out of our mouths: 1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. When we let God have His way in our hearts, ordering our priorities and our values, it begins to have an affect on our prayers. And you might ask – well, what about the idea of speaking in tongues – don’t some people have that gift? Is that praying in the Spirit? I don’t think so exactly. Yes, I believe that God can give the gift of tongues to anyone He wishes today, and I know some of you have it, but it’s not a mandatory thing for everyone and I don’t think it’s what Jude has in mind here or what Paul had in mind in Ephesians, I think they’re two separate things. Some people may pray in tongues, but all Christians should pray in the Spirit. But look, it’s not only us praying in the Spirit, beloved, agapetos, did you know the Spirit is praying for and with you? Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Think about that: “we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.” Didn’t the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray”? So, one thing I often do, especially if I’m going to have a dedicated time of prayer, by myself or with others, is I’ll just open by asking God to lead us in prayer. That His Spirit would impress upon us, or upon me, the things that He wants said or addressed. I ask for that guidance. I have things I want to pray about, but I want Him to lead and guide me into new understanding or answers or to pray about things that maybe I hadn’t seen or considered yet. Basically, I want His priorities to be my priorities. I do that here each week as well. Some of you know, I write out my sermons, word for word, it’s all right here. But there’s nothing written down for the closing prayer. I’m entirely dependent upon God to lead us in prayer at the end of the service because I expect that during the course of the sermon He’s going to be doing a work in you and in me that I can’t see or fully understand when I’m at my desk, and so I ask Him to complete that work by leading me to pray for the things He wants prayed when we’re done here this morning. If you’ve never done it before, I would encourage you – take some time, and ask God to lead you in prayer. Tell Him you want to pray in the Spirit – to be led by the Spirit, to have His priorities as your priorities, and see if it doesn’t have an effect on things. Number three – the third marker we’re looking for in a growing Christian: (Jude 20) “keep yourselves in the love of God.” The idea of keeping here isn’t just that you’re holding on to something, it’s the idea of protecting and defending it in the face of any enemy. So, at first we said “building yourselves up on your most holy faith” – that’s a positive thing, an offensive thing if you will, a thing of growth and progress. This marker points us toward the need to be defensive, to be protective. It’s kind of like Nehemiah, when they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, do you remember, they had a sword in their belt and a trowel in their hand. And then some stood watch while others built. It’s the same idea. Don’t loose ground while you’re building up. Establish a perimeter, right? When I was thinking on this, and especially the idea of ‘keep’ what came to me was The Battle of the Hornburg, or The Battle for Helm’s Deep – the scene from the Lord of the Rings. If you remember, the Rohirrim, the horse people, learn that an evil army is on their way, and they know they don’t have enough men to defend their city on the small hill, so they fall back to this mountain fortress where the orcs eventually find them and they have this massive battle. Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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And things aren’t going so well, so the men have to retreat and the call goes out “to the keep, to the keep!” In architectural terms “the keep” is the strongest or central tower of a castle, a final refuge, the strongest defense. That’s where God wants you to place your self – in the keep of His love. Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run into it, and they are safe. Friends, once again – don’t expect it to be heaven until it is. You have a passport in your pocket, you are a child of God, you have been gifted citizenship in the Heavenly Kingdom, but this world is full of troubles and enemies and you are even detrimental to your own faith at times when you pursue selfish lusts. Attacks will come. Life will be hard. There will be battles, and in those times, you need to remember to keep yourself in the love of God. Remind yourself that His walls surround you. Remember yourself that you are built on the rock. The walls may shake, the thunder may roar, you may see and hear and even feel some of the assault, but your soul is secure and God will bring you through. But also, don’t go wandering. Don’t go exploring out there. Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you. That’s how mouse traps work, right? With bait. The mouse goes for the bait and it costs him his life. “Keep yourself in the love of God.” And finally, another good segue – “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” This is what you need to keep in view at all times. This needs to be the source of your hope and your strength: the blessed hope of eternal life. What keeps those refugees going across deserts with no food, in ships that barely float, without showers or privacy or a bed? Hope. The dream of what might be coming one day when they finally get to a better place. Friends, think how powerful that drive is. Think of how powerful the drive was for the pilgrims who came to America hundreds of years ago – scrapping together all their money for the cost of the journey, some selling themselves into indentured slavery in the hope that something they had never seen would be a better place for them. And then, once they got here, what was the westward expansion like? Men leaving wives and children behind as they traveled thousands of miles across the Mississippi and headed for places like Kansas or Oklahoma or Oregon where they heard they could get 40 acres and a mule. Friends, none of that was guaranteed. Many grew sick and died. Many lost it all. Many never made it. And the same thing is true today – there are refugees dying trying to make it to Europe. Some of them won’t make it. Some of them won’t find work. Some of them Copyright 2015 Calvary Chapel DC Metro – No Distribution Beyond Personal Use Permitted
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won’t find friends. Some of them won’t be accepted and will find it hard to settle in a camp somewhere. “But you, beloved,” are guaranteed a place to dwell in Heaven by Christ. You are promised mercy. Not because you finally made it, but because He came out to get you. He wants you. And He offers Himself to you. There are millions and millions, billions and billions of people on this planet looking, hoping, searching for a place to belong – and you have it! And you have the blessed opportunity to tell them where to find it as well. Because the glorious thing about the gospel is that it doesn’t cost me anything to share it with you. Many of the people of Europe are tense, they’re wondering what do we do with all these people – will they take our jobs? Will they have an impact on our community? What will happen to us if they come here? But the Europeans are only worried because there are limited resources. Christian, there is no spiritual equivalent. You and I will never lose our place if we tell others how to find what we have received. You can tell people all day long. And I hope you will – I know our friends in Hungary are. You have an inextinguishable source of hope and mercy you have a place to belong – you are beloved. So, let that make a difference in your life today. Let it help to build you up in the most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God. Look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And share it with others. Let’s pray.
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