"Jude" pt 1 - Be A Contender

We're starting a new series this week in the book of Jude, looking at being a contender for the faith and following Jesus faithfully. So, open to the book of Jude, the second to last book of the Bible, and follow along with us.

Happy Father's Day to our dads! Can all the dads stand up this morning? We want to acknowledge the dads in our congregation. Please stay standing. We are thankful for the dads in our church, and to express our thanks, we have a gift for you today. Before you leave, the ushers will have either a Hundred Grand candy bar or an extra little Payday for you. Those will be for you as you leave.

Now, we want to pray for our dads, so please stay standing. Father, we thank You so much. You are our heavenly Father, and we thank You, Lord, that You are the perfect example to us of what a father is to be. We pray, God, for the dads in our congregation that You would enable and empower us to be a godly example in our homes, to our wives, and to our children. Lord, we thank You for the dads in our church and for the dads in our lives. We ask, God, that You would bless these dads today in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right, instead of sitting down, everyone else stand up. Would you open your Bibles to the New Testament? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. We are starting a new book today at the very end of your Bible—no, not Revelation, just before Revelation. The book of Jude is this one-page book at the end of your Bible. Since it is the second to last book, you can turn there like you are an authority on Scripture.

So, Jude—I would say chapter one, but it's only one chapter—so Jude, verse one. There we read: "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation—ungodly men who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, as we consider this exhortation today, we pray that You would open our hearts and our minds to receive Your word. We believe that Your word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is useful in our lives, Lord, bringing transformation. It is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for exhortation, and for training in righteousness, that we would know how to live, walk, and follow You. So I pray, God, that You would enable us to do just that. Give us Your grace to apply the things that we will learn in this passage. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."

You can be seated. We have been on a long journey together here at Cross Connection through the New Testament of the Bible. It started back in November of 2008. We have used the book of Acts as a chronological timeline. The book of Acts is the history book of the Bible, and so we have gone through those 28 chapters of Acts. We have looked at all the letters of the New Testament. The New Testament is mostly made up of what are called Epistles, which are letters.

Letters or Epistles are written by Apostles; they are not the same thing. Apostles write Epistles. Most of the New Testament consists of letters written by these men of God 2,000 years ago. We have gone through the letters that correspond with the timeline of the book of Acts. We finished the book of Acts some time ago, and we are continuing to finish the New Testament chronologically, which brings us to this little book called Jude.

Jude opens like many of the New Testament writers. There are five Apostles who wrote letters in the New Testament—maybe six. Some people think that the book of Hebrews, though we don't know who the exact author is, was written by not one of these five. We will talk about that when we get to the book of Hebrews sometime in the future. Someday we will finish the New Testament, although the Lord could return before then. It could happen, and then He can teach us the rest of the New Testament. We would be good with that.

Of the five authors that write these letters in the New Testament, four of...

In their letters, the authors refer to themselves just as Jude does here when he says, "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ." He is the fifth New Testament writer, although this letter is not attributed to him. He wrote the Book of Revelation, and there in Revelation chapter 1, he also refers to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. This is the most common title applied by the New Testament authors to themselves.

The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word they chose to describe themselves is the Greek word "doulos," which means "slave." However, many times when we come to this word in these letters, it is not simply "slave" or "servant," but "bondslave" or "bondservant." This indicates that they were servants by choice; they were not forced to be servants, but they chose to be servants of Jesus Christ. Here, Jude, just like these other New Testament authors, says, "I am a bondservant of Jesus Christ."

Jesus taught us in the Gospels that those who desire to be great in the Kingdom of God ought to be servants. One of the references we find to prove this is in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 20. There, Jesus calls to himself his disciples and says, "You know that the rulers of this world, the rulers of the Gentiles, lord over them their authority, and those who are great exercise authority over those who are under them. Yet it shall not be so among you, the people of God. But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave."

I find it fascinating when you read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—that these great men of God, the twelve disciples or apostles, as they walked with Jesus, served with Jesus, and learned from Jesus, had the number one conversation topic among them, at least when they thought Jesus was not listening: who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Which of them was going to be number one? It's so like us. I see it with my own kids, and I remember growing up with siblings. We always had this discussion about who was the favorite. I know for certain that I am among my parents' favorites, and since none of my siblings are here to contest it, I will still stand upon that.

Art, and she's given me a thumbs up. You saw that? Don't tell my sister and brothers, okay? I knew it was true; it's all good. For those of you who don't know, that's my mom sitting right there.

There was this argument about who is the favorite and who is going to be the greatest, and that was the argument among the disciples 2,000 years ago. Now, the fascinating thing to me is that there's a part of me that almost expects Jesus to rebuke that thought. I would think he would speak up to his disciples and say, "Come on, guys, that's so carnal, that's so wicked, that's so earthly." Yet, he didn't do that. He said, "Guys, listen, this is how you become great. If you want to become great in My Kingdom, you do so by becoming a servant."

That's one of the values that we lift up here at Cross Connection: servant leadership. It's interesting that even in the non-church world, in the places where you work and where most of our lives are lived, it generally is the person who takes that kind of mindset who also excels.

I just picked up a book this last week. It's not a Christian book; it's not a church book. It's called "Ego Is the Enemy," written by a guy who is not a Christian at all. He writes about a whole bunch of topics that have nothing to do with the Bible, and yet in this book, he says, "Listen, if you want to succeed in this world, the best way to do that is to be a servant." The best way to do that is to take that position. Yet, it goes against my nature; it goes against your nature. He even says that in the book, and that's what we find in the Scriptures. My nature is filled with ego, and all of ours is.

Yet, Jesus says, "If you want to be great in My Kingdom, then you need to be a servant." Not only did Jesus teach that, but he also exemplified it. He humbled himself. In the New Testament, in the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes that although Jesus is God, he did not think it strange or a bad thing to take this humble position and become a man, humbling himself to the point of a servant.

That's what he did. In fact, the theme verse of the Gospel of Mark is found in Mark 10:45. There, Jesus says to his disciples, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." He says, "Guys, you need to be servants, and you need to follow my example."

An example, and maybe the greatest illustration of that example, is found on the night that Jesus would be betrayed by one of His closest disciples. There, as He partook of what we refer to as the Last Supper, the Scriptures describe an event where Jesus got down on His knees, took a basin of water, and began to wash His disciples' feet. When He was done, John chapter 13 tells us that He looked at His disciples after having taken the lowest position, washing their feet. In John 13:15, He said to His disciples, "I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you."

Now, He is not saying that we need to have foot-washing ceremonies, which frankly, I am happy about. He is saying that we need to follow this pattern of service; we need to follow this pattern of becoming a servant. Point number one on your outline sermon guide is in your bulletin: servanthood is the path to greatness. This is such an important value and truth for us to hold on to. It is simple, and I have shared this point many times before. You will no doubt see this on a sermon guide in the future because it is so important. Servanthood is the path to greatness.

This brings us to a very simple question. If it is true that servanthood is the path to greatness, if it is true that Jesus taught His early disciples to be servants, if it is true that Jesus exemplified servanthood, and if it is true that all of the New Testament authors refer to themselves first and foremost as bondservants—servants, slaves by choice of Jesus—then it brings us to a simple question: In what ways am I serving God?

We can provide all kinds of opportunities here at the church on a Sunday to serve, whether it is as an usher, a greeter out in the parking lot, at the hospitality table, at the connection point, doing the slides, on the worship team, or in children's ministry. There are lots of different areas here on a Sunday morning to come and serve for 75 minutes.

However, the bigger question is: How am I, with my life, serving within my home? How am I, with my life, serving God and His mission and His kingdom in my life out in the community or in the workplace? You see, God wants us to be His servants wherever we go. It is not just on Sunday mornings when we come to church, although this may be a good place to start.

Practicing and training for servanthood is essential. If all the early Apostles and followers of Jesus referred to themselves as servants by choice, then it should challenge me to also be a servant of Christ and to follow Him. Jude begins his letter like so many of the New Testament authors do: "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James." This introduction brings us to an interesting question: Who is this guy Jude?

We don't know very much about him. He is not spoken of in the Book of Acts, and we don't see him very much in the Bible. He wrote a small one-page letter that ends up as the 65th book of the Bible, the very next to last book of the New Testament. But what do we know about him? We know that he was a servant of Jesus and that he had a brother named James.

However, this is where it gets a little more complicated. I didn't realize that sometimes things fly below our radar. Just this last May, I was in Germany teaching at a conference. One of my friends was teaching on the Book of James found in the New Testament. Every time he referred to James, the translator translating into German would say "Jakobus," which is German for Jacob. I found myself thinking for just a moment, "Wait a minute, James? Jacob? What is this?"

I opened up the little app on my iPhone, and sure enough, when you look at the original language, it's not James; it's "Jakobus," Jacob. As I started to look into it, I realized it's just not one of those things you think about very often. Every time you see James in the New Testament, it's actually Jacob. Apparently, King James, who commissioned a translation of the Bible in the 17th century, really wanted his name in the Bible. So, in the New Testament, every time you see James, it's actually Jacob. This makes it a little confusing.

It's not Jude, the brother of James; it's Jude, the brother of Jacob. But here's what's even more difficult: Jude is not really his name. It's just the English translation of his real name, which is Judas. I'm assuming that in the first century, it probably wasn't the best to have a name like Judas. You can read the Gospels to figure out why. So here we have a Judas who had a brother named Jacob, or in English, a Jude who had a brother named James. Well, who is this guy? There is only so much we can discern.

One other place in two verses of the Bible where we find out who this probably is, is found in both the Gospels of Matthew and also in the Gospel of Mark. Let me read to you from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6.

There in Mark chapter 6, Jesus goes back to his hometown, a little town in a region called Galilee in Israel, called Nazareth. When he came into his hometown, the people were amazed at this Jesus who was teaching them with authority. As they talked among themselves, they said, "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary? This Jesus who is preaching in our synagogue on a Sabbath day, is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters with us?" So they were offended at him. Here Jesus stood in their presence, and they said, "Wait a minute, this is just the carpenter. Isn't this just the son of Mary, his brothers, you know, James and Joseph and Judas, or Jude?"

So here we find Jude writing this small letter many years later, probably about the mid-60s AD, nearly 2,000 years ago. He writes here and says, "Jude, a bondservant, a servant by choice, a slave by choice of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James." I think this is remarkable and noteworthy for a number of reasons.

First, during the three and a half years that Jesus was here upon the Earth, preaching, healing, and ministering, his brothers, including James and Jude, did not believe in him. In John chapter 7, verse 5, it says they did not believe in him. When Jesus was here upon the Earth, his own brothers did not believe that he was the Messiah. Not only did they not believe him, John's Gospel said they mocked him.

So Jude, years before he would say, "a bondservant of Jesus Christ," was a mocker of his half-brother Jesus. Not only did he not believe in his brother when his brother was here upon the Earth, and not only did he mock him, but get this: Mark's Gospel tells us in chapter 3 that when Jesus was going around the region of Galilee ministering, Jesus's own family...

Brother James, Joseph, Jude, Simon, and maybe his sisters went out to where Jesus was. In Mark 3:21, it says they went to lay hold of him because they said, "He is out of his mind." Perhaps some of you have that religious nut in your family, or maybe you are that religious nut. Jesus's brothers held an intervention; they went to find their half-brother, who was early in his ministry, going around the region of Galilee, preaching to people and causing quite a stir. They went to lay hold of him to intervene because they thought he was out of his mind.

What changes in James and Jude to bring them from mocking their half-brother, not believing in him, and thinking he was out of his mind, to the point where they became slaves by choice of Jesus Christ? I suggest to you that what probably happened is that their half-brother was crucified and then rose from the dead. I think their minds changed when they saw that the one who had been crucified was now alive and well. They became followers of Jesus, but not just followers; they became slaves by choice of Jesus—not just their half-brother, but Jesus the Christ, the one who was announced by the prophets for hundreds of years.

They became followers, they became apostles, and they became writers of Scripture, inspired by the Spirit of God. One of the amazing things about both James, who wrote the Book of James, and Jude, who wrote the Book of Jude, is that they do not mention that they were the half-brothers of Jesus. What great humility! Instead, they say they are bondservants of Jesus Christ.

Both became followers, leaders, and apostles, inspired by God's Spirit to write Scripture, yet neither one of them used their position as half-brothers of Jesus for advantage or gain. I think that's instructive because so often we are tempted to be name droppers, but Jude was not a name dropper. Not only that, he does not go around saying, "Let me tell you a little bit about Jesus in the early years." Instead, he simply states, "I am a bondservant."

The servant of Jesus Christ, my brother, is James. There is no nepotism in the Kingdom of God; you don't get in on the coattails of your brother, sister, mother, or father. Jude understood that, and apparently, James did too. He identifies himself as Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James.

In verse one, he writes to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. Why be a slave or a servant of Jesus? Why choose to put yourself in that position? Simply because He called us, He sanctifies us, and He will preserve us. Jude writes to the called.

We need to understand that if you are a follower of Jesus today, if you are a Christian today, it is because God called you to be. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, I am really glad that you are here. I want you to understand that Jesus is calling you to become a follower; He is calling you to be part of His family. If you are a Christian today, Jesus called you to be one.

This leads us into a significant discussion, a big argument that has been ongoing in the church for quite some time: Are we Christians because God called us, or are we Christians because we followed Him? The answer is yes, both. The Bible describes God as both sovereign and as having given us the responsibility to follow Him.

I believe that if you are a follower of Jesus, it is because He called you to be. The Scriptures say He called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light, as stated in 1 Peter 2:9. Some of you may remember that point in your life when He called you out of darkness. You were blind, and He called you; you were lost, and He found you.

If you are a Christian today, you are called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Furthermore, 1 Peter chapter 5 says that you were called by His grace and called unto eternal glory, as noted in 1 Peter 5:10. You were called not because of some special ethnic heritage, but simply because He is good, as Paul states in Romans 9:24. God called you because He is good; He called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Grace unto eternal glory, He called you. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 says, "by the gospel." How did He call you? Through the good news of His Son. That's how He called you to be one of His. He called you with a holy calling, and He saved you by His grace, not by your works, as stated in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Since He has called and justified you, Romans chapter 8 says He will glorify you. What a glorious reality! God called us out of darkness. He called us by the gospel. He called us by His grace. He called us unto eternal glory. He called us to be forgiven of our sins. He called us so that He would one day glorify us.

Now, here's the kicker: if He called us, Ephesians chapter 4 says that we should walk worthy of that calling. We should own that calling. That's what it means to walk worthy—to own that calling. Here, Jude says, "I'm writing to those who are called." But not only is he writing to those who are called; he says, "I am writing to those who are sanctified by God." This letter is for those who are sanctified by God.

Now, what does it mean to be sanctified? It means to be made clean or to be made righteous. Here’s the thing we need to acknowledge from this simple statement: we are made clean and we are made righteous by God. You are not made clean by your good works. You are not made clean by your church attendance. You are not made clean by your church service. You are not made clean by your church giving. We are saved by God, sanctified by God. We are unworthy, unrighteous sinners whom He called out of darkness into His marvelous light, and He has made us clean, not by our works of righteousness.

How does that happen? Well, here in Jude 1:1, it says that we are sanctified, or made clean, by God our Father. In Romans chapter 15, verses 1-16, we are told that we are sanctified, or made clean, by the Holy Spirit of God. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 10, we are told that we are made clean, or sanctified, by the sacrifice of Jesus. You see, this is how it happens.

Works. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for you and for me. He took all of God's wrath and punishment against sin upon Himself on the cross. Therefore, by the sacrifice of Jesus, God the Father, by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit, can make you and me clean. He can transform us; He can make us righteous. He does this by the name of Jesus.

It says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, "You were sanctified by the name of Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God." How does He pull this about? How does He make it happen? Well, John 17:17 and Ephesians 5:26 say that we are sanctified and made clean by the word of God. Jesus prayed in John 17, "Father, sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth." Paul the Apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote in Ephesians 5 that we are sanctified and cleansed by the washing of the water of God's word.

This is how it works: you hear the word of God taught, you hear the word of God preached, you read through the word of God on your own, and you study through the Scriptures throughout the week. What does God do through the word of God, by the working of the Spirit of God? God the Father brings about conviction of sin in my life and in your life.

Then what happens? We bring that sin, our failures, to God, and we confess it. Here’s what the Scriptures say in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us, sanctify us of all unrighteousness."

As we gather together to study through the Scriptures, here’s what’s happening: when we’re hearing God’s word being taught, we are being sanctified. When you read the Bible on your own throughout the week, it is not ineffective; it is effective. God is sanctifying you. He is revealing to me and to you the areas of our lives that are in conflict with who He is, His nature. We bring those to Him and say, "God, I’m a failure." He responds, "Yes, yes you are." We ask, "God, would You forgive me?" He says, "Yes, yes I will." He is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

You see, Christians aren’t perfect people, but we are those who are being transformed by the Spirit of God and by His grace. Jude writes and says to those who are called, sanctified.

By God the Father, He says to those who are preserved in Jesus Christ. Now, before we get to that point, number two, I don't want to miss it because someone will come up to me and ask, "What was point number two?" We are called and cleansed purely by God's grace. We are called and cleansed purely by God's grace, which means we have nothing to boast about; it is all of God.

This letter is to those who are called, to those that are sanctified by God the Father, and to those that are preserved in Jesus Christ. Now, in the Book of Romans, New Testament, chapter 6, and also in the Book of Galatians, Paul the Apostle speaks about the baptism that Christians experience. We just had a baptism this last week. I had the joy and the privilege of baptizing my daughter, Addison. What a great Father's Day gift!

We baptized someone, but the Bible describes in Romans chapter 6 and also in Galatians that we are baptized into Jesus Christ. Here’s the interesting thing: when we go to the beach or we go in a pool in someone's backyard and we baptize someone, we are only symbolically acknowledging what Jesus has already done. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the baptism experience is a symbolic acknowledgment that you were baptized not in the water, but you were baptized in Jesus when you put your faith in Him.

So, when we baptized, the element of baptism is water, but when Jesus saves you, you are baptized in Him. Then, here we are told that we are preserved in Him. The New Testament was written in the Greek language about 2,200 years ago. Two hundred years before Jesus came, there was this Greek man who was a poet and a physician. He wrote a pickle recipe; I'm not making this up.

He was a poet, physician, artisan, and pickle maker. I don't know how that happens, but it does. Maybe it happened like this: his parents came to him and said, "Listen, Nick, this isn't going to work out. This whole poetry thing is not going to cut it. You know your brother Demitri? He's a politician. Tavi, your other brother, he's a philosopher. You have to do something." So, he chooses to be a physician, but he still writes poetry and really likes pickles, so he wrote a pickle recipe. This is what he is known for, 2,200 years ago.

In his pickle recipe, he describes the method of making pickles in the Greek language. He says, "Listen, if you're going to make a pickle, you have to take a vegetable, maybe a cucumber. First, you bapto; you dip it in boiling water. Bapto is very temporary and quick. But then, after you bapto it in boiling water, you baptizo it into a vinegar solution. Baptizo is different from bapto. Baptizo is a long process where you place that vegetable into the vinegar solution and leave it there. As it stays there, the vinegar solution begins to permeate that vegetable, bringing about a permanent transformation of nature.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering why we are talking about pickles at Cross Connection. The reason is simple: it gives us insight into the wording used in the New Testament as it relates to baptism. When you become a Christian, you are baptizo in Christ. He is the element by which you are bapti; you are to abide in and remain in Him. As you are in Christ, His nature begins to permeate you, bringing about a permanent change. This change, as Jude says, will preserve you eternally. Jesus is an eternal preservative, and so he writes to those who are preserved in Jesus Christ.

This is why it is so important to be in Christ and remain in Christ permanently. Why? Because point number three on your outline is that we are preserved in and by Jesus Christ. We are not preserved by our church attendance; we are not preserved by our good works. We are preserved in and by Jesus Christ.

This leads us to a very simple question: Are you pickled by Jesus? That might be the only thing you'll remember from this message, but that's okay. Are you pickled by Christ? Have you been in Christ by faith to the point where His nature is permeating you and permanently changing you? That's the sanctification process—His nature begins to come into us, be absorbed by us, and transform us completely. Jude says, "A bondservant of..."

Jesus Christ, a brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Like nearly every New Testament writer, Jude begins with a salutation. He starts with these encouraging words, saying, "I pray that mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you."

I don't know about you, but I need mercy, peace, and love multiplied in my life. I need it to increase. I need mercy, peace, and love for myself, but I also need mercy, peace, and love to flow through me. As we are in Christ, His mercy, peace, and love come to us, but they also permeate us and permanently change us, causing us to overflow with these qualities. It should be evident to others that the spirit of God is in us. The evidence of God in us is love, joy, peace, kindness—these are the characteristics that show we are in Christ. People in this world ought to see in us what it means to be followers of Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, we read that they will know we are His followers by the love we have for one another. The challenging reality is that in 21st-century American culture, the last thing Christians are known for is mercy, peace, and love. That's terribly unfortunate, and I would suggest that it's an area where we Christians have failed. We need to pray, "God, would You multiply Your mercy, Your peace, and Your love in me and through me?" When people come in contact with us, the flavor they should get is mercy, peace, and love.

That's what people saw in Jesus when they came to Him. What attracted people to Jesus was His mercy, peace, and love. In contrast, what repulsed people from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the religious leaders of Jesus's day was condemnation. They came to Jesus and found mercy, peace, and love. May it be that this is what people see in me and in us. God, help us that these would be the differentiating characteristics of the Church, of this church.

So Jude writes and says, "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you." There is a time and a place for this message.

For words of encouragement and words of love, there is equally a time and a place for words of exhortation and rebuke. It seems that Jude set out to write one letter but ended up writing another. Maybe you've had that experience before yourself. Jude sat down and wanted to write to his brothers and sisters in the church, to those who are beloved of God. He says, "Listen, beloved, I wanted to write to encourage you about our common salvation that has been given to us in Christ Jesus. However, I felt it necessary at this point in time to write to you and encourage you, to challenge you to contend earnestly for the faith."

He found it necessary to write to you to exhort you, to stir you up, to come alongside you and say, "Listen, something needs to give; something needs to change." This highlights a really important truth. There are some people in the church who sometimes look at the very first-century church, the early church, and think everything was awesome. I'm here to tell you that it wasn't. There was false teaching in the early church, there were sinful factions and divisions, and there were all kinds of sinful immoralities, just like there are today. The church has never been perfect, and the church on Earth will never be perfect. God is perfecting us so that when we stand before Him, we will be like a bride without spot or blemish.

If you came to Cross Connection and thought you found a perfect church, you ruined it. We're all imperfect; this is a place filled with imperfect people, myself included. We all need the grace of God and the mercy of God in our lives. We need to recognize that the early church was not perfect. Jude says, "I've written to you, exhorting you." He found it necessary, as he says in verse three, to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Now, those words "contend earnestly" are one word in the original language. This was written in Greek; it's the Greek word "agoni," from which we get the English word "agonize." You need to agonize for the faith; you need to contend earnestly for the faith.

Point number four on your outline: The preserved by faith in Christ must fight to preserve the faith.

We must fight to preserve the faith. I think there are probably a few of you at this point who are saying, "Yes, we need to contend earnestly for the faith," especially today, more so than at any other time. Don't you see that all these crazies out there in the world are coming for us? These people with all kinds of wicked lifestyles or weird political positions, the Supreme Court, and those Democrats and Republicans—whoever it may be—they're coming for us.

But here's the interesting thing: Jude doesn't say we need to be on guard from those outsiders. He says we need to contend earnestly for the faith. Why? Verse four states that certain men have crept in unnoticed. Listen, in the church, the greatest danger is not outside political legislation, it's not Supreme Court decisions, and it's not people who come from sinful lifestyles and practices. The greatest danger to the church comes from right within the walls of the church.

The Apostle Paul, as he was leaving the church at Ephesus, shared his final parting words with the elders of that church. He said, "Listen, guys, I'm concerned that after I leave, savage wolves are going to come up from within some of you." He warned those elders that some would become savage wolves who would not spare the flock.

The interesting thing is that as you look at church history over the last 2,000 years, the time when the church has grown the most, flourished the greatest, and burned the brightest has been when outsiders have come against the church. So when I see things in our nation going against Christians and the church, I have to be honest with you: I kind of just say, "All right, Lord, bring it on," because it has a purifying effect. It creates pressure that causes the church to expand and grow.

However, what is most destructive to the church is that which creeps in unnoticed. Have you ever heard of methylmap? Maybe some chemists in the room have heard of methylmerap, but very few of you have ever heard of methylmapon. However, you have smelled it many times.

Before methyl mercaptan is the additive that they infuse natural gas with. Natural gas is odorless and colorless, which is what makes it so incredibly deadly. Knowing that it can be so dangerous, they infuse it with this substance called methyl mercaptan. When you smell it, you can detect it even at one part per billion; it smells like rotten eggs. More than 80% of human beings have olfactory nerves that can actually determine or detect this smell. There is a small group of people who do not smell it, but most people can. It is added to the gas because it is odorless and colorless, and without it, it could kill you. They place this additive in the gas so that you can smell it when there is a gas leak.

Listen, there is a noxious, deadly gas that can kill the church, and it comes from within. It can be odorless and colorless, yet God, through Jude, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals to us the stench of these false witnesses. He tells us there are three things we can use to identify their wickedness within the church. He says this in verse 4: ungodly men who, number one, turn the grace of God into lewdness; number two, deny the only Lord God; and number three, deny our Lord Jesus Christ.

These ungodly individuals can be detected because of these three things, at least. They misuse God's grace in an unrighteous manner in their lives and deny the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is how you can detect those who creep in unnoticed. Number one, they turn the grace of God into lewdness or license. You see, God's grace is awesomely powerful; there is no salvation apart from the grace of God. Yet, the preaching of the grace of God can be dangerous because it is so potent and powerful that it can be taken advantage of. In the same way that the subatomic structures that God has created can be used in amazing ways, we have seen the consequences of misusing grace.

Technological advances of the last 150 years, through all these scientific explorations, have allowed us to divide and split atoms. Yet, those same technologies can be used to cause big booms when taken advantage of or used in the wrong way. The grace of God is so powerful, so good, and so important, but it can also be misused.

How can it be used in the wrong way? The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 6, asks a question that some people begin to ask when the grace of God is shared with them. They say, "Shall we sin that grace may abound?" God is so good, gracious, and forgiving. He will forgive my sin; therefore, if I sin, He will pardon me and be loving. So, I guess I can just keep on sinning. Paul responds, "God forbid! May it never be so."

Yet, throughout church history, both in the first century and even today, some come in and say it's okay to continue living that lifestyle. They suggest that it's acceptable to keep doing those things because that's just the way you are. They might say, "Your upbringing, your parents weren't so good to you, and I get it. I understand; it's okay for you to keep doing that." No, that's not what it says.

You see, the grace of God does not give me a license to keep on sinning. When properly understood and applied, the grace of God will actually transform me and transform you. Let me read to you from Titus chapter 2. You can note it down in your notes. Notice what the Apostle Paul says about the grace of God:

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

Grace, when properly understood, taught, and applied, transforms me and those who receive the grace of God into people who are zealous for good works, redeemed from wicked works, and who live soberly, righteously, and godly in a wicked world. However, grace misapplied leads to false teachings that suggest it's okay to stay the way you were. They say, "God is gracious, and He loves you."

False teaching, this noxious false teaching, comes into the church. It leads to a rejection of God's rule in their lives. Ungodly men turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and deny the only Lord God. When you lay hold of this false application of God's grace, you reject the rule of God in your life.

The temptation of sin is that you don't have to follow what God says; you can do what you want to do, and God will be gracious. However, that temptation, which suggests you can do whatever you want, always leads to bondage. If you don't believe me, read the Old Testament book of Judges. You will see six or seven times in the Book of Judges that the nation of Israel, the children of Israel, did what was right in their own eyes. Twice it states that they did evil in the sight of the Lord.

So often, when I do what is right in my own eyes, when I do what I want to do instead of what God, the governor and ruler over my life, calls and wants me to do, I find that it may be right in my own eyes, but it is evil in the sight of the Lord. The amazing thing is that every single time, all six or seven times in the Book of Judges where it says they did what was right in their own eyes, the very next sentence states that they ended up in bondage to the Philistines or the Midianites.

God, in His grace, would allow them to go into bondage and captivity to these enemies so that they would cry out for God's grace, and God would come and deliver them. But then this cycle would continue over and over again: they did evil in the sight of the Lord, they did what was right in their own eyes, and they ended up in bondage. The temptation of sin is to do whatever you want to do; you don't need God to tell you what to do, and you don't need His rule or authority in your life. But every time you succumb to that, you will always succumb to the burden and bondage of sin.

Now, it's interesting that the word chosen by Jude, inspired by the Holy Spirit, for the Lord God is the Greek word "despotes," from which the English word "despot" comes. I am here to tell you that the gracious God is a much better despot than sin. Those who lay hold of this false teaching of God's grace reject the rule of God in their lives, and it leads to a rejection of the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, and the startling thing is that Jesus cannot be Savior and not also be Lord. If you want Christ to be your Savior, to save you from sin and death, then He also needs to sit upon the throne of your life. He needs to become Lord. I didn't make that up; this is what God did. In Acts 2:36, it says, "This Jesus God made both Lord and Christ." If He is going to be received by you as your Savior, then He also needs to be the one who governs your life. You need to be submitted to Him. He is Master; you are servant. In that place, we can experience His preserving power in our lives and His sanctifying grace. I don't know about you, but I need that, and I owe it to God to work that work in our lives. Amen.

You see, the world needs to see, at this time more than any other time, a church that has been transformed by the grace of God. For too long, especially in our nation, people outside the church have looked in and said, "Those Christians are no different than us." Why? Because false teaching, like a noxious gas, has mounted and said, "No, you can continue to live that way. You can continue to practice those things. It's okay; God is gracious. He still loves you." And He does, but the grace of God, truly applied, transforms us to be more like Jesus. When we are baptized in Him, His nature permeates our nature, bringing about a transformation that is good and a transformation that is glorious. Oh, that God would transform us in that way. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, I pray that you would help us, that you would extend your grace to us, and Lord, that we would experience your transforming power in our lives. Jesus, help us to be more like You as we find ourselves in You. Let Your nature come into us and transform us from the inside out. As taught by Your grace, may we live in a way that brings honor to You. Though that lifestyle that You've called us to might sometimes be a stumbling block to those who don't yet know You, I pray, God, that we would...

Continue to walk in your grace and show off your grace to those who don't yet know it. Make us more like You, Jesus. Help us to stand boldly against this wickedness that comes in and teaches us to ultimately deny and reject Your lordship and rule in our lives.

Help us to be completely submitted to You as the Master over all that we are. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."

Let's sing to the Lord.