Contending for Faith: Worship, Grace, and God's Glory

Summary

In today's reflection, we delved into the profound truths found in the closing verses of the book of Jude. We began by acknowledging the importance of the doxology, a moment of praise and worship, as a response to God's incredible work in our lives. This act of worship is not just a ritual but a heartfelt expression of gratitude for His steadfastness and grace. We are reminded that God is our rock, the foundation upon which we stand, and it is through His sacrifice and resurrection that we have life and a relationship with Him.

As we explored the text, we focused on the central theme of contending for the faith. Jude's exhortation to contend for the faith is a call to remain vigilant against false teachings and to hold fast to the gospel. This is not a passive endeavor but an active engagement with the truth of God's Word, grounded in prayer and devotion. The imagery of God keeping us from stumbling is a powerful reminder of His protective presence in our lives. Just as sure-footed horses navigate treacherous terrain, God provides us with stability and guidance amidst the challenges of life.

The promise of being presented blameless before God is a profound assurance of our salvation. Through Christ's sacrifice, we are justified and declared righteous, not by our own merit but by His grace. This truth should inspire us to live lives of worship and gratitude, recognizing that our righteousness is a gift from God.

Finally, we are called to give God the glory, majesty, dominion, and authority that He deserves. Our lives should reflect His greatness, and our worship should be a testament to His power and love. As we go about our daily lives, let us remember that it is not by our strength but by His grace that we stand firm in faith.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Importance of Doxology: Worship is a response to God's work in our lives. It is an expression of gratitude for His steadfastness and grace, reminding us of the foundation upon which we stand. Worship is not just a ritual but a heartfelt acknowledgment of His presence and power. [28:58]

2. Contending for the Faith: Jude's call to contend for the faith is a reminder to remain vigilant against false teachings. This requires an active engagement with God's Word, grounded in prayer and devotion. It is through this commitment that we find stability and guidance in our spiritual journey. [32:27]

3. God Keeps Us from Stumbling: The imagery of God keeping us from stumbling is a powerful reminder of His protective presence. Just as sure-footed horses navigate treacherous terrain, God provides us with stability and guidance amidst life's challenges. [35:19]

4. Being Presented Blameless: Through Christ's sacrifice, we are justified and declared righteous. This assurance of salvation is not by our own merit but by His grace. It should inspire us to live lives of worship and gratitude, recognizing that our righteousness is a gift from God. [43:41]

5. Giving God the Glory: Our lives should reflect God's greatness, and our worship should be a testament to His power and love. We are called to give Him the glory, majesty, dominion, and authority that He deserves, acknowledging that it is by His grace that we stand firm in faith. [51:58]

Youtube Chapters:

- [0:00] - Welcome
- [28:58] - Opening Prayer
- [30:30] - Personal Anecdote
- [31:55] - Introduction to Jude
- [32:27] - Contending for the Faith
- [33:35] - Reflection and Doxology
- [34:09] - Jude 24-25 Reading
- [35:19] - God Keeps Us from Stumbling
- [37:15] - Prayer and Devotion
- [39:09] - Sin and Temptation
- [41:42] - God's Protection
- [42:12] - Armor of God
- [43:41] - Presented Blameless
- [51:58] - Glory, Majesty, Dominion, Authority
- [58:48] - Next Steps and Closing

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Jude 24-25
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- 1 Corinthians 10:13

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Observation Questions:

1. What does Jude 24-25 say about God's ability to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless? How does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on God’s protective presence? [34:09]

2. In the sermon, what imagery is used to describe God's ability to keep us from stumbling, and how does this imagery help us understand His protective role? [35:19]

3. How does the sermon describe the role of false teachers and the importance of contending for the faith according to Jude? [32:27]

4. What are the four attributes of God mentioned in Jude 25, and how are they explained in the sermon? [51:58]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of God keeping us from stumbling challenge or affirm your understanding of His role in your spiritual journey? [35:19]

2. What does it mean to be presented blameless before God, and how does this assurance impact a believer's life according to the sermon? [43:41]

3. How does the sermon interpret the call to contend for the faith in the context of modern-day challenges and false teachings? [32:27]

4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that God's glory, majesty, dominion, and authority should influence our daily lives and worship? [51:58]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt spiritually unstable. How can the assurance of God keeping you from stumbling provide comfort and guidance in similar future situations? [35:19]

2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of contending for the faith. What practical steps can you take to actively engage with God's Word and remain vigilant against false teachings? [32:27]

3. Consider the promise of being presented blameless before God. How does this assurance of salvation inspire you to live a life of worship and gratitude? [43:41]

4. How can you incorporate the attributes of God’s glory, majesty, dominion, and authority into your daily worship and interactions with others? [51:58]

5. Identify a specific area in your life where you need to rely more on God's strength rather than your own. What changes can you make to depend more on His grace? [58:48]

6. The sermon mentions the importance of prayer and devotion in contending for the faith. How can you enhance your prayer life to strengthen your spiritual foundation? [37:15]

7. Think of a person or situation in your life that challenges your faith. How can you apply the teachings from this sermon to stand firm and reflect God's greatness in that context? [39:09]

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as a Heartfelt Response
Worship is not merely a ritual; it is a profound response to God's work in our lives. It is an expression of gratitude for His steadfastness and grace, reminding us of the foundation upon which we stand. Worship is a heartfelt acknowledgment of His presence and power, a moment to pause and reflect on the incredible ways God has moved in our lives. As we engage in worship, we are reminded that God is our rock, the foundation upon which we stand, and it is through His sacrifice and resurrection that we have life and a relationship with Him. This act of worship is a testament to His power and love, a declaration of His greatness in our lives. [28:58]

Psalm 95:1-3 (ESV): "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

Reflection: How can you make your worship today a genuine expression of gratitude for God's work in your life, rather than just a routine activity?

Day 2: Vigilance in Faith
Contending for the faith is an active engagement with the truth of God's Word, grounded in prayer and devotion. Jude's exhortation to contend for the faith is a call to remain vigilant against false teachings and to hold fast to the gospel. This is not a passive endeavor but requires a commitment to understanding and living out the truths of Scripture. As believers, we are called to be discerning, to test everything against the Word of God, and to stand firm in our convictions. This vigilance is essential in navigating the challenges and temptations of life, ensuring that we remain rooted in the truth of the gospel. [32:27]

1 Timothy 6:12 (ESV): "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to actively engage with God's Word and strengthen your understanding of the gospel?

Day 3: God's Protective Presence
The imagery of God keeping us from stumbling is a powerful reminder of His protective presence in our lives. Just as sure-footed horses navigate treacherous terrain, God provides us with stability and guidance amidst the challenges of life. This assurance of His protection is a source of comfort and strength, enabling us to face difficulties with confidence. We are reminded that it is not by our strength but by His grace that we stand firm in faith. As we navigate the uncertainties of life, we can trust in God's unwavering support and guidance, knowing that He is always with us. [35:19]

Psalm 121:3-4 (ESV): "He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to trust more in God's protective presence and guidance?

Day 4: Assurance of Salvation
Through Christ's sacrifice, we are justified and declared righteous, not by our own merit but by His grace. The promise of being presented blameless before God is a profound assurance of our salvation. This truth should inspire us to live lives of worship and gratitude, recognizing that our righteousness is a gift from God. As believers, we are called to embrace this assurance and allow it to transform our lives, leading us to live in a way that reflects the grace and love we have received. This assurance is a source of hope and encouragement, reminding us of the incredible gift of salvation we have in Christ. [43:41]

Colossians 1:22 (ESV): "He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him."

Reflection: How does the assurance of being presented blameless before God impact the way you live your daily life?

Day 5: Reflecting God's Greatness
Our lives should reflect God's greatness, and our worship should be a testament to His power and love. We are called to give Him the glory, majesty, dominion, and authority that He deserves, acknowledging that it is by His grace that we stand firm in faith. This call to give God the glory is an invitation to live in a way that honors Him, allowing His greatness to be evident in all that we do. As we go about our daily lives, let us remember that it is not by our strength but by His grace that we are able to stand firm in faith, and let our lives be a reflection of His power and love. [51:58]

1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV): "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all."

Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally reflect God's greatness in your actions and interactions with others today?

Quotes

1. "As we've been going through the book of Acts, I mean the book of Jude, the first thing that we were highlighted in that, in this chapter, was that we were to contend for the faith. This is sort of the thesis statement of the book of Jude. And when we first started, Ricky kind of was like, like, hey, grab you a little baton and be reflective and remember the fact that we are to pass this on because we are to contend for the faith for that which was delivered to us so that we can deliver it to others. And so the thesis of the book of Jude is related to contending for the faith. The gospel must be constantly a part of who we are and what we do." [32:27] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "It is a dangerous thing to live for Christ in a world of false teachers, seductive morals, getting close to the fire as he says in verse 20, 21, we'll get you burned. Getting close to garments stained with the flesh can get you dirty, defiled. It's a dangerous place to live. there is hope. And the hope that we have is not in ourselves. The hope that we have is in the promise that we can stand on. So the first thing I want to highlight in our text today is that he keeps us from stumbling. He keeps us from stumbling. He keeps us from stumbling." [35:19] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Contend for the faith. He will keep you from stumbling. And the question is stumbling like in what way? The expectation is that we, followers of Jesus, are living a life grounded in the faith in Christ and devoted to prayer. Verse 20 and 21, just above it, he says, this is what Jonathan kind of taught on last week, you beloved, building yourself 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. Contend for the faith. How do we contend for the faith? Through prayer and devotion to the Lord." [36:47] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Sin is crouching and God has provided an opportunity for stable footing so that we will not stumble if we will contend for the faith. As we contend for the faith and we engage our culture to change it, we risk being pulled and tempted and tainted by the world in the flesh. We risk being pulled and twisted and tainted by the reality of this world. The false teachers sound good. They will appeal to your emotions. They will appeal to your feelings. They will draw upon our sympathy. And in doing so, they have turned abominations into things that should be admired. They've turned tolerance and acceptance into things that are equal to love. They've turned sin into an identity." [39:09] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "We must contend for the faith. And when we do, we risk the fire. We risk the tainting. We risk the flesh. We risk the mire of the world. But he has promised that he will keep us from stumbling. We can. Hold to the fact that God is able to keep us from stumbling. He is at work to give us a solid foundation upon which to stand. Even in the midst of unstable ground, even in the midst of chaotic ideas, he is at work to give us sure footing. He is at work providing safety in the midst of the fire." [41:05] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "We contend for the faith. We hold to the gospel. We devote ourselves to prayer. We love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with all of our strength. And we love our neighbors as ourselves. And this doesn't mean that we won't sin. It's not saying that God is so, as we contend for faith, that we won't sin. will never sin we are sinners saved by grace still bound in this corpse of flesh but what it does mean is that i am protected by god's goodness and his faithfulness to have opportunity to make sure footed moves he will provide a way of escape he will provide a path he dwells within us he guides us it does not mean that we will not occasionally sin but what it does mean is that we won't fall away we're sure found in grounding upon which we can stand we contend for the faith and the lord will keep us from stumbling into apostasy the lord will keep us from stumbling into heresy the lord will keep us from stumbling away" [42:46] (74 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "As a follower of Jesus when we stand before god on that day we will hear our savior say well done my good and faithful servant enter into the joys of the lord and it is not because of our works of righteousness where we could boast it is because he has declared us righteous and then the whole we we are wrapped in jesus's righteousness and we are sealed by the righteousness of the holy spirit so that when god looks at us he sees us as righteous not because of what we have done that has made us righteous but because of what he has done he will present us blameless before god on that day it's amazing we're born sinners in our sin we saw god as the enemy paul describes it romans 3 that there was enmity between you and me and god we did not like him we set up base camp to go against him but in his rich mercies he saved us and although we struggle with sin some of us we have this reality of a flesh and not some of us all of us rather the flesh and although we are engaged in this great conflict to contend for the faith we have been declared righteous and as a result of that we stand before god we will be presented blameless without blemish there will be no evidence of death there will be no evidence of sin when i stand before the righteous holy god and it's not because of what i have done it is because he has done it all and he will present me before the father without blame without blemish praise the lord this should cause us to praise him it should cause us to want to worship him it should cause us to recognize that he is the only one worthy of our praise because we contend for the faith we're devoted to prayer we're in the word we're living in this chaotic world and we can rest confidently in knowing that as we contend for the faith he will ensure that our feet land on solid ground and when we stand before the lord we will be presented blameless without blemish and when we stand before the father he will present us blameless before the father that's worthy of praise because here's the third point of the day he is the one who receives honor and praise not me not you there's nothing in you that gives you the ability to brag on where you are or where i am before god it is his work he says jude says this to the only god our savior through jesus christ our lord glory majesty dominion and authority before all time and now and forevermore amen eternally god is worthy of praise only he is worthy of our praise he keeps us from stumbling he justifies us and he presents us blameless he alone is worthy jude uses four words to highlight the honor and praise that is due to god our savior through jesus christ and their glory majesty dominion and authority god is worthy of our praise because of glory god is worthy of our praise because of his majesty his dominion and his authority is what jude is saying well glory is an interesting word because and to the ancient jews to jude who would have been a jew who studied the word glory literally is a word that means weight it means heavy that's what that that word means it can refer to the public reputation or fame of a person so in terms of humans a person who has a a really big reputation where a lot of people know and they are famous in the hebrew you would say they have glory all right in exodus 33 there's a story that we're well that's not a story it's actually happened so then in exodus 33 we're told of the account and where moses is standing on top of the mountain and he says to god god i want to see you and god says him if you look on me you'll die he said so i'll do i'll tell you what i do i will i will sort of stick you in this little cleft of a rock over here and then i'll walk past you backwards so you can only see my back that'd be great and the description is that god's glory passed before him that's how it said he could see his glory his glory is more than an idea it's more than a reputation it has physical presence and weight about it in ezekiel chapter 43 when yahweh enters the temple it says that his glory filled the temple and he says that his glory filled the temple the heavens declare the glory of god god's glory is about his overwhelming presence his power and his beauty it is the reputation that he has in the cosmos and the cosmos declares that to us the heavens declare the glory of god his majesty from the greek prefix that we get mega big great it refers to god's deeds and his very being in the old testament the writers and early jewish writers the word will be attributed to humans and kings and rulers your majesty right the king your majesty right it will be attributed to various kings and rulers but in the new testament there is but one king and his name is jesus and so when the new testament writers came along they would not use that term for caesar they would not use that term for herod the the early church writers would not use this term to describe some sort of majesty of an earthly king it was reserved for the only one worthy of majesty and so in the new testament in the early church fathers when you begin to see them use this word majesty they're using it in relationship to god's superiority not to caesar because it defines the certain allegiance i am alleged to you oh majesty and so when did we when jew describes god as a king of the earth he describes him as a king of the earth as majesty it is an attempt to provide dedicated allegiance god is worthy of kingship because he is worthy of our allegiance dominion we're told that god has dominion that is power and strength he is the creator and sustainer of all he has the power to create from nothing he speaks and it comes into existence he says let there be and there is the cosmos came into existence by the very word of god he's powerful he takes a nomad and turns him into a great nation he takes a slave baby and puts him into pharaoh's court and he leaves the nation out of egypt he takes a shepherd boy and turns him into a king he prefers preserves a remnant in the midst of a mighty exile he raises world powers he levels world powers he walks on water he feeds fire and he gives life to the world and he gives life to the world and he with a few fish and bread he dies on a cross and then raises from the dead he ascends into heaven he has a strong tower of refuge that we can find rest his right harm will hold us up nothing is impossible for god he has dominion but power and dominion without the right to exercise that power is really nothing so not only does he have power he has authority he has the right to rule through all he's the one who made it since the beginning god has the authority over all that exists his authority extends to everything and in genesis 1 in the garden when god said let us make man in our image and after our likeness he then says let's give them dominion there's a part of what it means to be a human as image bearers of god that god has provided you and i with a certain amount of authority in this world and that authority does not come from us in our own power it comes from god granting that authority to us he gave mankind dominion over all that he created and then god partnered with humans to rule the cosmos in egypt god raised pharaoh for the very purpose to show his power his authority over nations and powers demonstrated into plagues and liberating a people who've been enslaved for 400 years god has all authority he has all things under his hands remember the children's song we used to sing he's got the whole world in his hand this is his authority god reigns he wins he is worthy of praise and worship for his glory he will keep me and you from stumbling in his majesty he will keep me and you from slipping in his power he will protect you from the evil of the devil and he will protect you from the evil of the devil he will present you and me blameless before the father and by his authority he will keep me and you preserved here's the thing i want us to kind of reflect on and walk away from our thoughts at the end of june today here's the thing christ will keep you secure not because of us but because of him and his grace your sureness your confidence your resting assuredly in his favor is not because of your righteousness or your works or anything that we do the steadfastness the rock upon which i stand the reality of where i will stand one day in the glory and presence of god is not based upon what i have been able to do it is based entirely upon what christ has done christ will keep us secure not because of us but because of his grace" [50:15] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

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