A Powerful Finish

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.  (Jude 24-25)

Jude ends his short letter on a powerful tone; like a hymn that finishes in a crescendo with the congregation holding the last high note.  Our God is worthy of such praise.  It is by his power that we will have the victory.  In the verses prior Jude gives responsibility to his faithful readers to do the work of reaching out to struggling and wayward Christians.  And he had written in 20 "to build yourselves up in the most holy faith."  We have work to do, but the power and success of our labor is from the Lord.  He can see us through to the end when we will stand his presence - what a glorious thought!   

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Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, Rejoice!

"Who Needs Faith?" - Special Weekend Lessons about faith in God as Creator

Check out the website - www.helenachurch.com for more info about our special lessons this weekened by Dr. Buddy Payne about the Evidence for an Intelligent Creator.  Tonight's topic is "Where did we come from?"

Built Up and Protected

Jude 20 "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit."

Jude warned about men who sought to use the church for their own ungodly satisfaction. The remedy or defense against such men is found in verse 20 - build yourselves up in your most holy faith. I see two principles at work. (1) A person strong in the faith will not be deceived by false doctrine, no matter how eloquent the speaker. (2) A person strong in the faith will eventually, if not quickly, see through the facade of someone attempting to gain influence for his own purposes. This can be a tricky one; some are great con artists. But usually con artists go after the weak, gullible, or those who have a particular need in their life. Although it is possible (so if it has happened to you, don't waste time blaming yourself for someone else's sinful character), most often the tactics of charlatans are not likely to work on someone strong in the faith.

So let's determine to rely on the gifts and blessings that God has granted us to grow strong in the faith and thus live to His glory.

Exposing a Bully

Jude 10 "Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them."
 
Evil often emboldens people.  They take a false stance of strength as they attempt to impose their wickedness on others.  It is important that we are strong in the faith to stand "toe to toe" with such people.  That does not mean that we use the same tactics - Jude mentioned that Michael the Archangel refused to rebuke Satan, but rather turned it over to God - instead we are prepared to not back down.  We know who we are and refuse to allow those with carnal motives to push others around without exposing who they are.  That was the whole point of Jude's letter 2000 years ago, and it is still a frequent problem today.

The Best Thing to Share

 "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."
 
Jude had in mind to write about the salvation we share.  Consider that he was a brother of Jesus; instead of claiming special authority or privilege, he saw himself as a servant of the Lord and here in verse 3 as one who shared, or had in common with others, salvation from the Lord.  Since salvation is something that we share with fellow Christians, we can also consider what a great blessing it is to share it with those who do not have it.  Maybe you know someone today who needs to have the gopsel shared with them.

 

If you want some help and encouragement on how to share the gospel please contact us.  We would love to share with you in that effort!