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SELAH! (Pause and calmly think of that) --- NEWSLETTER --- Page updated monthly |
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CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
The book of
Jude is a small book in size, but a large book in its value to the people of
God. It begins like this:
“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them
that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and
called. Mercy unto you, and
peace, and love, be multiplied.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints.” The word ‘contend’ means
to fight or to strive in competition.
We are admonished to do this earnestly, or with our whole heart.
Why is it necessary to strive?
Because there is an adversary who is trying to turn us and everyone
else away from God and His truth.
Satan is that adversary, and he uses people to do his work – people
he has already deceived enough to carry out his orders. In verses 4-19, he
proceeds to warn God’s people of ungodly men who had come into their company
“unawares” which means secretly or without being noticed.
In these verses, he describes their ungodliness and their certain
judgment. Because of their
influence and power to manipulate the weak, he begins in verse 20 to exhort
those who are following Jesus Christ.
Although evil is prevalent all around
and pressing its way into the church, we can have a totally different
lifestyle by following the instructions Jude gives us.
When we understand the Help that is available to us, it becomes clear
there is no excuse for falling into the evil of the day.
It is our choice to succumb to evil or to succeed in truth.
It requires effort on our part and a determination to follow God if
we are to keep from falling into Satan’s traps. First, we must attend to
our hearts and keep our spirits fresh and pure before God.
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost…” (vs. 20).
Building ourselves up means to build
upon our faith.
There are levels of faith and we need to go past the foundation.
Faith is not just mental assent.
It is a conviction so strong in the truthfulness of God that we
surrender ourselves to Him completely.
Our actions are the fruit of that conviction and surrender.
We must keep building on our faith, from the elementary to the depths
(or should we say heights) of God’s Spirit. Next, he urges us to
pray “in the Holy Ghost”.
Allowing the Spirit of God within us to pray through us brings results, for
He prays according to the will of God.
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
Allow the Holy Spirit to help you build yourself up.
“Keep yourselves in the
love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life.” (vs. 21)
The word ‘keep’ in this verse means to watch over or set a guard
around. It means to keep an eye
on. When women go shopping, they
keep an eye on their purses.
Why? Because it contains
valuable possessions. As
Christians, we contain the Spirit of God Himself.
We need to set a watch over ourselves so the love of God in us is not
stolen away. When we truly love
God, He is more important than anything or anyone else to us.
That love, just like faith, will result in actions, specifically, in
keeping His commandments as Jesus said in We are to look for
mercy. It is a wonderful
characteristic. It sees a need
and has resources adequate enough to meet that need.
That is exactly what God has done for us.
In His love and mercy, He grants us eternal life.
As we will see, mercy is also an action word.
We are not to be passive in our pursuit of God. The next two verses urge
us to extend that mercy we have received to others.
“And of some have compassion, making a difference:” Having compassion
in this context goes farther than feeling sorry for someone.
It means to feel sympathy and to express it by assisting them.
When we move into the action part of compassion, then we will make a
difference. We can sometimes
change their circumstances. That
is not always possible, but we can give them hope through Jesus Christ and
spiritual assistance. If we are
aware of the needs around us on a daily basis, we can meet many of them
regardless of whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual or financial.
Sometimes, just a word will make a difference and give someone a
glimmer of the hope they have lost.
So, keep your eyes open for opportunities. “And others save with
fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the
flesh.” Many people are on the
brink of destruction and don’t even know it.
They need someone to face them head-on about their sins and take
drastic measures to turn them from the judgment they are heading toward.
It is not as easy to do as just
speaking a word of comfort or encouragement.
It may take time and a greater depth of boldness.
However, the one who pulls “them out
of the fire” must be sure to keep a watch on their own spirit and not allow
anything to defile them in the process. “Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
What type of temptations can overtake one trying to restore another?
Sins such as pride or false humility can overtake the one rescuing
the other. While we help draw
others out of evil, it is imperative to keep that sense of hatred toward any
stain or blemish that would make us unholy before God.
We cannot give in to the weaker part of our human nature and be drawn
in to using carnal weapons to deliver them.
The ways of the world will not rescue a soul from destruction.
The scripture tells us not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome
evil with good. If we take pride in
our humility because we have “reached down” to help someone, it is false
humility; and pride is a sin, too.
We have to be cautious and act with reverence toward our Holy God. The last two verses tell
us of God’s power to protect and shield us.
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…”.
God has the power and the resources to protect us from stumbling as
we contend for the faith. He
will set a watch over us to keep us from falling into Satan’s snares and
stumbling into sin. We don’t
have to fear falling, but we must stay on guard.
A security guard doesn’t live in fear of something going wrong, but
he is watchful, so if anything does go wrong he won’t be taken by surprise.
With evil all around us, we must be on guard for wickedness shows up
in unexpected places. Don’t let it creep in unnoticed.
If we will stay close to Jesus, we have no need to fear.
He will keep us. The word
‘present’ in this verse means He will cause us to stand.
But not just barely holding ourselves upright.
We will stand erect with no blemish, no blame, no fault or
shortcoming. It is not by our
power. We must relinquish our
power and rely on His. He will
make us able to stand in our place in His manifest presence, and He does it
with exuberant joy. It is not
grudgingly. We are joyfully
welcome into His presence. Verse 25 assures us of
God’s qualifications to keep us in the face of any odds.
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion,
and power, both now and ever.
Amen.” God’s wisdom is perfect
wisdom - clear, unclouded from any imperfections and complete.
His majesty denotes His dignity, greatness and divinity.
His dominion shows His vigor, force and strength as shown in His
complete mastery over everything in heaven and earth – “Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians
1:21). Finally, His power is
mentioned. The choice of the
Greek word ‘exousia’ here denotes, not only enough force to accomplish
something, but also the freedom and right to use that strength without
restrictions. You may have the
ability to teach school, but you also must have a certificate that
gives you the right to do it.
God has both – over everything – the ability and the right! As we understand the
force of evil, we must also understand the force of God.
If we don’t, we will live in fear and never accomplish anything of
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