Contending for the Faith: A Call to Unity

Devotional

Day 1: Assurance of Divine Preservation

Believers are called, beloved, and kept by God, which provides assurance of divine preservation, especially when facing false teachings and heresies. This identity is not just for personal comfort but for the glory of God, who desires us as His people. Understanding this identity helps believers remain steadfast in their faith, knowing that their salvation and preservation are ultimately for God's glory. This assurance is crucial in a world where false teachings can easily lead believers astray. [04:49]

"But you, beloved, building yourselves 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." (Jude 1:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: How does knowing you are called, beloved, and kept by God change the way you face challenges in your faith today?

Day 2: Spiritual Warfare in Contending for the Faith

Contending for the faith is a call to spiritual warfare, requiring believers to stand firm and united in spirit. This contending is not about being contentious but about earnestly defending the faith with love and grace, upholding the objective truth of the gospel. In a world that often values tolerance over truth, believers must be vigilant in addressing sin, false doctrine, and heresy. This requires a willingness to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of the gospel and to ensure the faith remains intact for future generations. [13:27]

"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." (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to stand firm in your faith, even if it means facing discomfort or opposition?

Day 3: Sacrificing Comfort for the Gospel

In a world that often values tolerance over truth, the church must be vigilant in addressing sin, false doctrine, and heresy. Contending for the faith means being willing to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of the gospel and ensuring the faith remains intact for future generations. This contending is not just for the present church but for the sake of the lost who need to hear the truth of the gospel. It requires believers to be courageous and steadfast, prioritizing the truth of the gospel over personal ease. [20:45]

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

Reflection: What personal comfort might you need to sacrifice today to uphold the truth of the gospel in your life or community?

Day 4: Contending as an Act of Love

Contending for the faith is an act of love—love for God, love for the truth, and love for others. It is about ensuring that the faith remains intact for those who come after us, so they too can know the salvation found in Jesus Christ. This act of love requires believers to prioritize the truth of the gospel and to demonstrate love and grace in all their actions. By contending for the faith, believers show their commitment to God and their desire for others to experience His love and salvation. [40:20]

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: How can you demonstrate love and grace while contending for the faith in your interactions with others today?

Day 5: Unity and Peace in Contending

As believers contend for the faith, they must also strive for unity and peace within the church. Contending and maintaining unity are not mutually exclusive but complementary, ensuring that believers uphold the truth while fostering genuine peace and unity. This balance requires wisdom and grace, as believers seek to demonstrate love and grace in all their actions for the glory of God alone. By striving for unity, believers can effectively contend for the faith while building a strong and harmonious community. [43:18]

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to promote unity and peace within your church community while still contending for the truth of the gospel?

Sermon Summary

The letter of Jude, though often overlooked due to its brevity, holds profound significance for believers. Jude, likely the half-brother of Jesus, writes with urgency to address a pressing issue within the early church. Initially intending to discuss the shared salvation of believers, Jude shifts his focus to a more immediate concern: the infiltration of false teachers and the need for believers to contend earnestly for the faith. This call to contend is not merely about defending personal beliefs but about upholding the objective truth of the faith once delivered to the saints.

Jude begins by affirming the believers' identity as those called, beloved, and kept by God. This assurance of divine preservation is crucial, especially when facing false teachings and heresies. Jude emphasizes that believers are not only saved but are also preserved for the glory of Jesus Christ. This preservation is not for our sake alone but for the glory of God, who desires us as His people.

The call to contend for the faith is a call to spiritual warfare. It requires believers to stand firm, united in spirit, and willing to fight for the truth of the gospel. This contending is not about being contentious or divisive but about earnestly defending the faith with love and grace. The faith we defend is not a personal interpretation but the faith handed down through the apostles and prophets, encapsulated in the whole counsel of God.

In today's world, where tolerance is often valued over truth, the church must be vigilant. Contending for the faith means being willing to address sin, false doctrine, and heresy, even when it is uncomfortable. It means being willing to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of the gospel. This contending is not just for the present church but for future generations and for the sake of the lost who need to hear the truth of the gospel.

Ultimately, contending for the faith is an act of love—love for God, love for the truth, and love for others. It is about ensuring that the faith remains intact for those who come after us, so they too can know the salvation found in Jesus Christ. As we contend, we must also strive for unity and peace within the church, demonstrating love and grace in all our actions, for the glory of God alone.

Key Takeaways

1. Jude's letter emphasizes the importance of believers understanding their identity as those called, beloved, and kept by God. This assurance of divine preservation is crucial when facing false teachings and heresies, reminding us that our salvation and preservation are ultimately for God's glory. [04:49]
2. Contending for the faith is a call to spiritual warfare, requiring believers to stand firm and united in spirit. This contending is not about being contentious but about earnestly defending the faith with love and grace, upholding the objective truth of the gospel. [13:27]
3. In a world that often values tolerance over truth, the church must be vigilant in addressing sin, false doctrine, and heresy. Contending for the faith means being willing to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of the gospel and ensuring the faith remains intact for future generations. [20:45]
4. Contending for the faith is an act of love—love for God, love for the truth, and love for others. It is about ensuring that the faith remains intact for those who come after us, so they too can know the salvation found in Jesus Christ. [40:20]
5. As we contend for the faith, we must also strive for unity and peace within the church, demonstrating love and grace in all our actions. Contending and maintaining unity are not mutually exclusive but complementary, ensuring that we uphold the truth while fostering genuine peace and unity. [43:18]
** [43:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:24] - Introduction to Jude
[01:02] - Jude's Greeting
[01:55] - Prayer for Understanding
[02:57] - Authorship of Jude
[03:30] - Jude's Initial Intentions
[04:21] - Called and Kept by God
[05:21] - Assurance of Preservation
[06:02] - God's Desire for Us
[07:20] - Mercy, Peace, and Love
[08:30] - Jude's Urgent Appeal
[10:18] - Contending for the Faith
[13:27] - Willingness to Fight
[17:03] - Challenges in Contending
[20:45] - The Church's Struggle
[23:01] - The Difficulty of Contending
[26:47] - The Agony of Contending
[30:41] - Contending for the Faith
[34:30] - The Faith Once Delivered
[39:24] - The Reason We Contend
[42:47] - Striving for Unity
[44:26] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

Jude begins by affirming the believers' identity as those called, beloved, and kept by God. This assurance of divine preservation is crucial, especially when facing false teachings and heresies. Jude emphasizes that believers are not only saved but are also preserved for the glory of Jesus Christ. [00:04:21]

Notice that he not only speaks of their calling, but he also speaks of their preservation, that these are the ones who are kept for Jesus Christ. It's interesting that in a little letter on apostasy that Jude begins by speaking about calling, inferencing election, and speaks of the perseverance and preservation of the saints. [00:04:55]

We are saved and we are kept and the Lord preserves us and sustains us first and foremost for His glory, for His good. Here Jude says, For Jesus Christ." You see, here's the good news, friends, is that God doesn't need us, does He? It's so much better than that, isn't it? God wants us. [00:06:08]

Jude out of the abundance of his heart and care for the people of God, wanted to comfort them and encourage them with words of the gospel, words of peace and words of mercy and words of love. He is concerned about these things from the very outset. [00:07:58]

What is, what is one of the most foundational and one of the most important matters in life? What is one of the most primary issues of all Scripture and in all of life? Is it not our salvation? Is it not knowing God? Is it not knowing the Lord Jesus Christ? [00:11:31]

You see, we first need to know what it is we believe and we must be willing to fight for what we believe. Let me ask you a question. What are you willing to die for? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I'm sure we've all asked the question, "Who would we be willing to die for?" [00:13:28]

The truth of the matter, though, in our day and age in so many churches and so many pews, so few people not only don't know their faith, but really wouldn't be willing to fight for their faith, and certainly wouldn't be willing to die for their faith. [00:14:40]

The reason we defend the faith, dearly beloved, is not just for the sake of our churches as they presently are. The reason we defend the faith once handed down to the saints is not only for our children and our children's children, it's not just for the sake of our country. [00:36:38]

Ultimately, dearly beloved, the reason we fight and contend for the faith once delivered to the saints is because it's we love our Lord who saved us unlike those who crept in and denied the Lord, denied the Sovereign and Lord Jesus Christ. [00:40:22]

We fight and contend out of love for love for the glory of God. We fight and contend because we love the Lord Jesus Christ and because we actually love people. In the world today, they tell us that as Christians that because we call sin, sin, that we're unloving. [00:41:02]

We fight and we contend, though not contentiously, not divisively. We make biblical lines where the Bible draws lines. We demonstrate biblical grace and demonstrate the biblical freedom where the Bible gives us that grace and that freedom. [00:43:18]

We draw the biblical lines where we need to in the most loving and gracious way that we possibly can, not simply saying that we're being loving but actually demonstrating love with peace and patience and kindness and all the fruit of the Spirit, demonstrating love so that we might have real peace. [00:43:41]

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