Why We Must Contend for The Faith Jude 3-11

The Condemnation of Unbelief and the Necessity of Faith

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. And we are also told in Hebrews 11, 6, For without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He earnestly rewards those who seek Him.

Tying into this, I remember coming to a young age where I learned pretty young that just because somebody professes to have faith in Jesus Christ, professes to believe that He is Lord and Savior, doesn't make it true.

When I was about third or fourth grade, around that time, we had a couple of families that we were really close to. Our families spent a lot of time together with them through church, growing up through church, and even outside of church.

In fact, my mom was in Bible study with the women from both of these families. So one family, the husband, father, was camp director. He had been a pastor for a few years, and he moved down to our area, and he became the camp director out there, and he had two girls.

And the other family had a husband and wife, and the wife was... and they had a dog. This dog was a German Shepherd dog. And I think of Snyder's and their German Shepherd, and I've been enjoying the times I've seen him, and totally reminding me of the dog that we inherited, because when this family moved from the country to town, they had to get rid of their dog, and so their dog became our dog.

And so I loved and enjoyed that dog. So these families were real close to us. And it wasn't... I don't remember how much longer it was, but it became known that the husband from the guy that was the camp director was having an affair with the woman of the dog who he inherited.

And it broke up their families, and they ended up leaving and dropping out of the town and the church and everything. And years later, my mom ran into her, and this woman was convinced that it was God's will that they should be married and be together.

And so just because somebody proclaims something doesn't mean it's true. We are finding out the truth for ourselves. And so that's where in Jude 3 -11, it says, Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

For certain people have crept in, unnoticed, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels, who did not stay within their own position, out of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment at the great day.

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner, these people, also relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, The Lord rebuked you. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.

Woe to them, for they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. Here's the big idea. Contend for the faith, knowing there are enemies of the cross.

Four Ways to Contend for the Faith

Also realize some of those enemies of the cross can be right here among us. Four ways to contend for the faith. I know I'm dating myself here on this. In a couple ways, think about faith. I can't help but think of George Michael's song, You Gotta Have Faith, first off.

And we do have to have faith. It is important. It's vital. Everyone has it. But is our faith placed where it needs to be? And as well, when I was a kid growing up, G .I. Joe, I was a big G .I. Joe fan.

And there was one thing I remember G .I. Joe always said that stuck with me. It's knowing is half the battle. So when we go into battle, we have to know. And that's where breaking it down into four ways to contend for the faith.

Two of them are knowing, and two of them are taking action. First, number one. Know the faith was delivered once for all, and that some have perverted the faith of grace into sensuality. When I was looking up the word contend, it means to struggle to overcome a difficulty or danger.

And when I was originally sharing this, knowing I was supposed to share this message, this wasn't as big of an issue as it is now. And I feel like I can't keep silent on it. I have to address it. Israel right now, as a nation and as a people, they are contending for their lives, not just a faith.

They're contending for their lives. And the world is definitely divided. And what's even, to me, is even more heartbroken is the church. Churches are even divided as far as who's in the right and who's in the wrong, that Israel should not be making the moves they're making to defend themselves.

And it's their livelihood. And anyone who thinks that Hamas and Islam or Muslims serve the same God as we are, you are sadly mistaken. According to scripture, according to God's word, their God requires them to die for Him, where our God sent His Son to die for us.

There's a big difference. There's no way He can be the same God. And in sharing with that, too, just without getting too graphic, it's like some of the things you read, it's like how I don't understand how anybody can back Hamas, the Palestinians in this battle, with what they're doing to children, to women, and how they're showing this about and what they're about doing.

They do not want peace with Israel. For them, peace with Israel is killing all the Jews, destroying them. So you can't have any peace by not being able to take a stand. So they have to defend themselves.

Otherwise, they'd be wiped out. And scripture makes it very clear they won't be wiped out. But the big thing that he was hitting me with before all that, as far as how to contend the faith, there's a movement in the church today that is very unbiblical, and it's also dividing the church.

And it likes to proclaim loudly that its stance in this area is more Christ-like than those who oppose it. And that is in the area of the LGBT community, the homosexuality movement. I'm telling you, scripture makes it very clear.

And what's even kind of scarier is we have Christian musicians who aren't making a stance. They're actually standing alongside of this movement instead of standing against it like they need to be. I remember hearing, too, that these artists, these musicians, they've said more than once, more than one of them has said, when they're up there singing, it's their pulpit.

It's their form of getting their message out. Here are some quotes that stood out to me that really bothered me, and these are by Christian musicians, mind you, on this very subject. In 2014, Art Millard of Mercy Me said this.

People have asked me, what do you think of gay marriage? I wish there was a loophole that says it was okay, because that would make life easier for all of us, but I can't find it. I try not to go there because that shuts the door so fast to having the ability to show grace.

Jesus makes it very clear to us in Matthew 7, 21 -23. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?

And I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from you, you evildoers. So what are we saying, or what are we not saying? And also in verses John 3, 17 -21. I read verses 18 and 19, but this is what 19 -21 say too.

And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and people love the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his way be exposed.

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. And in 2018, here's another one. Lauren Daigle was on the Ellen Show. And for those of you who don't know, Ellen is married to another woman, and she is a huge supporter of this movement.

And she was there to perform her song, Still Rolling Stones. After Daigle performed her song on the Ellen Show, she was asked if homosexuality was sinful by a radio host. Daigle responded by saying this, I can't answer that.

In a sense, I have too many people that I love that are homosexual. I don't know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can't say one way or the other, I'm not God. Matthew 10, 22, the words of Jesus, it says, All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

And again, we are told this here in Matthew 10, 24 through 39. Excuse me here. We are told, 34 through 39, hold on, right here. Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

So are we about truly finding the truth? It's up to us to find the truth. And Jesus is the answer. He makes it very clear what's right and what's wrong. And again, these are not my words. These are the words of Jesus.

So number one was, again, Know the faith was delivered once for all and that some have perverted the faith of grace into sensuality. Number two, know that those who believe in Jesus will be saved, but those who do not believe will be destroyed.

Unbelief, Final Judgment, and the Example of Israel

Going through this passage too in John MacArthur's Bible here, I came across this. He had this for a passage in Hebrews 3, 16 -19, talking about this, verses 5 -7. I'll read here. He says, For who were those who heard yet rebelled?

Was it not all those who left Egypt by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. So, God miraculously delivered the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, only to have them respond in unbelief, doubting and defecting from their faith in God, that he could bring them into the promised land, even to the extent of worshiping an idol of their own making, as well as murmuring against God instead of adoring him.

That apostate generation died 38 years of wilderness wanderings. And that was in verses 5 -7, where it says, again I will read these here, where it says,. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness. And where we're going with that is, the judgment, the great day, this refers to the final judgment, when all demons and Satan are thrown into the lake of fire, prepared for them, but not only for them, for all the ungodly, for all those who have faith apart from God, and into what Satan has for us, what he wants for us.

So it's our faith, is it truly placed in him, or is it placed in God? There's great consequences for this. And then going into verse 7, it will say,. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal flame.

Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction took place about 450 years after the flood, as we were learning in Sunday school about the flood. It took place about 450 years after the flood, when at least one of Noah's sons, Shem, was still living.

This took place only 100 years after Noah's death. So people would have known about the message of God's righteous judgment, that Noah preached and they rejected. They pursued sexual immorality and unnatural desires.

And in Romans 1 .24, we are told about these desires here. 1 .24 -28, it says this,. Therefore, God gave them up in lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions, for their women exchanged natural relations for those that were contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women who were concerned with passion for one another.

Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves a due penalty for their error and since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

This was only a preview of the fire that can never be quenched, the eternal hell that was being talked about here. And scripture makes it very clear. I know they say, oh Jesus never said this, Jesus never said that.

But if we truly believe the word of God, Jesus tells us, I am, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He makes it very clear that scripture is his words. And these, again, are the words of God.

And yet here we are in a time where churches are preaching something contrary to the word. So, number one, know the faith was delivered once for all, and that some have perverted the faith of grace into sensuality.

Number two, know that those who believe in Jesus will be saved, but those who do not believe will be destroyed. And number three, live in God's truth, not the lies of the world. And going into this in verses eight through ten, we are told, yet in like manner, these people, also relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blasphemy the glorious ones.

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing a blasphemous judgment, he said, The Lord rebuke you. These people relying on their dreams refers to a confused state of the soul, or abnormal imagination producing delusions and sensual confusion.

Does this sound like anything today? These people's minds were numb to the truth of God's word, so that being beguiled and deluded, they fantasized wicked perversions, being blind and dead to reality and truth.

In September 28th through 29th, some of you maybe have heard, Andy Stanley held a conference. The conference was sold out. This was a conference about inviting people to be there to relate or be able to help out people who are of the homosexuality nature tendency in the church to live out their faith as far as this goes.

He invited two gay men, who were married to other men, to talk about their Christian testimony and how they were able to live out their faith in the church today. Andy Stanley also went on to profess that his church preaches and believes in the biblical marriage, and that sex is meant to be kept for a biblical marriage between a man and a woman.

He received, rightfully so, criticism from Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After receiving criticism, Stanley said, Mohler's version of biblical Christianity is the problem.

Cain, Balaam, and Korah as Warnings Against Apostasy

So number one, again, know the faith was delivered once for all, and that some have perverted the faith of grace into sensuality. Number two, know that those who believe in Jesus will be saved, but those who do not believe will be destroyed.

Number three, live in God's truth, not the lies of the world. Which brings us to number four. Proclaim the truth will save those who live in it, but will destroy those who reject it. The Way of Cain. I found it interesting, the Way of Cain.

We all know about Adam and Eve, right, in the Garden of Eden, and their two boys. And I've heard it said too, people have said this, they said, we are all inerrantly good. If we are doing what we should be doing, you know, we don't have to worry about any wrong coming in.

We're all inerrantly good, right? No one will do bad things. Cain is a good example of how that's not true. Cain was raised by biblical, godly parents who knew the truth. He had a godly brother who loved the Lord.

Cain rejected it all and decided to go his own way and do his own thing. And so much so that he ended up killing his brother because he was more upset with what the life able lived than him being disobedient.

Cain too, he did not bring a sacrifice that had blood. Nothing that speaks of death. His sacrifice came with no confession, no cry for mercy. Balaam's error. Balaam was Assyrian. His prophecies result from an attempt to curse Israel, but every time it led to a blessing.

And in exchange for cursing Israel, he was going to be given money and honor of a frightened king, Moab. Since he couldn't curse the Israelites, he failed every time. He tried again and again. He finally said, I can get them to sin sexually.

And in his charge of getting these men to sin sexually, it led to 24 ,000 of them being killed. Korah's rebellion. Korah came from the tribe of Levi. Same tribe as Moses and Aaron. Korah accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the congregation of the Lord.

Korah gathered 250 men to challenge the authority of Moses. In Numbers 16, verse 3, Moses proposed a test to prove the source of his authority. Korah and his followers did not pass the test. And God opened up the earth to swallow the households and people that belonged to Korah.

The Lord also sent fire to consume the 250 men. And that is found in Numbers 16 through 35. So again, in reading this passage, where he says, Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation. Ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels, who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness.

Until the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulge in sexual immorality and pursue unnatural desires, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Yet in like manner, these people, also relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the Archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you.

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them, for they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.

And I can't stress enough how much that God loves everyone. He wants everyone to come to a knowledge of him. But if we choose to reject his word, his truth, his message, his gift of eternal life, it's on us where we end up.

He doesn't want to send anyone to hell. It was intended for the demons and Satan who rejected God's authority. And I find it interesting, too, this movement, too. Everyone knows they even had a month named after them, and the month is called what?

What month is it called? Pride month. Pride. What does Scripture tell us about pride? God makes it very clear. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Satan got kicked out of heaven for his pride.

Are we that prideful that we think we can live a life and be happy in living a life that is doing what we want, how we want to do it, apart from what God wants us to do, how he wants us to do it? And I find it more than interesting, too, the book of Revelation.

There's only one book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it, understand it, and take it to heart, and that is Revelation. Revelation 1 -3 says, Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

And again, in Revelation 2 -3, it says, and I find it more than interesting, too, just the words of this, where it says, Wake up. I've never imagined a Scripture passage jumping to life where you have people there saying they're woke.

We need to be woke. But what are they woke to? Is it to the Word of God? Is it to the faith of needing to be in Jesus and contending for that truth? Or is it a wokeness of contending for what they believe to be the truth?

Because, like, one of the things I heard, too, that just stands out to me as far as the lies of this movement that's been screamed in our schools, in our hallways, one of the ones was it said years ago, it said, Live the life you love, love the life you live.

That sounds great. That sounds wonderful. But that's all about us. God knows what we need to be saved, and it's not us that can save ourselves. And 2 through 3 in verse 10, it says, Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

Remember then what you received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know of what hour I come against you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth.

I've heard it said multiple times, too, through what's going on in Israel. They're saying this is very much biblical end-time stuff, last-day stuff, where this is Israel's survival that's at stake. Scripture makes it very clear what the last days will look like as far as Israel goes.

We're told that no one will stand with Israel. No one. God will have to intervene on their behalf. Do we see how the world is responding to this right now, how there's protests in the streets for Israel defending themselves, and there was no protest for what was happening to their women and children?

Contending for the Faith by Knowing, Believing, Living, and Proclaiming the Truth

So in conclusion, we must contend for the faith by knowing the truth, believing the truth, living the truth, and proclaiming the truth in a world that has rejected the truth. And that's another thing, too, that why Mark 8, 34 through 38, where Jesus says anyone who does not pick up their cross daily and follow me is not worthy of me.

If we can't be bold in sharing the truth and speaking the truth of the right kind of faith in this adulterous and wicked generation, how do we think he's going to respond to us when he does return? Are we ready for this?

In closing, I'm sure some of you have heard this. I know J .D. Farrakh, it's been a while since I've listened to him, but he always talks about the ABCs of salvation, and I can't help but think there's probably some people here that truly aren't saved, and they don't know what it means to be saved.

Being saved is not saying simply a prayer. Saying a prayer doesn't save you. How you live your life doesn't save you. It's where you've given your heart, who you've given your heart to. It all starts by, A, admitting you're a sinner, admitting that you need someone else to pay for your sins.

You cannot do it. We cannot do it. That faith that tells us we can do it on our own, it's a lie from the enemy. We can't. Admit that you are a sinner. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus paid it all for us so we don't have to.

And if we truly believe that, we will pick up our cross and follow him as he showed us by example on how we need to do that, and what we need to do. And that's where it's like, we come last. We're not number one, we're not number two, we're last.

God first, others second, ourselves third. Unlike Satan and what the world tells us, make it all about you. You deserve a break day. We've been fed this lie for so long that we've become accustomed to it, thinking we're actually more valuable and more important than we actually are.

We're nothing apart from God. And the last one is, C, confess. Confess your sins to him. Confess that you need to be saved, that we cannot do it on our own. We need his gift, his perfect gift for our sin.

Close here with, and then I guess I step down. Seth and Mark did make a comment how they said they were so grateful. I was stepping in and doing this too. But just closing, I will step down and close in the benediction.

And if anybody here does not know the Lord and would like to talk more about that, I know Mark, Seth, Keith. Seth is not here, but I know Jason. Come see us, talk to us. And if there's any prayer requests as well, we'd love to be praying for you too.

And there's a prayer box in back. But I'll read Numbers 6, 24 through 26. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Go in peace.