March 9, 2024 CONTEND EARNESTLY
Jude 3, 17-21 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last times there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lust.’ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”
Since the beginning, there have been those who oppose God and oppose those who worship and love Him. Jude reminds us that those who oppose Him suffer the consequences of their choices. The fact is that no one can change the plans of God or thwart His purposes. The good news for us is that ‘once for all,’ God delivered faith, the gospel, to all the saints. Jesus came inaugurating and demonstrating the kingdom of God. The blessing is that we have a book, the Bible, that reveals the gospel of God; and this gospel is received and understood through faith. The gospel is not a ‘evolving document;’ it is a ‘once for all’ deal. When we read from the Bible, we are reading what God has said to man! We are to be about contending for the faith; there will always be forces trying to distract us from the faith. There are many false gospels that would draw our attention from the gospel of God. Many interpret and filter the gospel thought their own preferences, and in so doing, miss the clear message of the gospel that has been delivered to all the saints, causing divisions. The main point is that we are to manage our lives and be directed by the pure, unchanging word of God, with no compromise. Our fellowship with others, our relationships are to be based on the sure foundation of the true gospel. The gospel speaks for itself; it does not need our input; the gospel changes us-we do not change it. So, let us build on the solid foundation of the gospel; let us walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh; and let always be contending for the faith by conducting our lives in a way worthy of the Lord and by speaking and demonstrating the truth of the gospel. In other words, let the faith that God has given be what we live by.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
Blessings, Buddy
Jude 3, 17-21 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last times there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lust.’ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”
Since the beginning, there have been those who oppose God and oppose those who worship and love Him. Jude reminds us that those who oppose Him suffer the consequences of their choices. The fact is that no one can change the plans of God or thwart His purposes. The good news for us is that ‘once for all,’ God delivered faith, the gospel, to all the saints. Jesus came inaugurating and demonstrating the kingdom of God. The blessing is that we have a book, the Bible, that reveals the gospel of God; and this gospel is received and understood through faith. The gospel is not a ‘evolving document;’ it is a ‘once for all’ deal. When we read from the Bible, we are reading what God has said to man! We are to be about contending for the faith; there will always be forces trying to distract us from the faith. There are many false gospels that would draw our attention from the gospel of God. Many interpret and filter the gospel thought their own preferences, and in so doing, miss the clear message of the gospel that has been delivered to all the saints, causing divisions. The main point is that we are to manage our lives and be directed by the pure, unchanging word of God, with no compromise. Our fellowship with others, our relationships are to be based on the sure foundation of the true gospel. The gospel speaks for itself; it does not need our input; the gospel changes us-we do not change it. So, let us build on the solid foundation of the gospel; let us walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh; and let always be contending for the faith by conducting our lives in a way worthy of the Lord and by speaking and demonstrating the truth of the gospel. In other words, let the faith that God has given be what we live by.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
Blessings, Buddy
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