EARNESTLY
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans 16:16)
Intro.
1. As we begin this lesson we want you to remember the words
of Jesus
a. how he said,
“And
take heed how you hear” (Luke 8:18),
b. and again,
“Take heed
what you hear...For unto you that hear shall more be given”
(Mark 4:24).
c. Those who are
truly
hungering and thirsting for righteousness shall be filled (Mat. 5:6).
2. Please turn in your Bibles to the little one chapter letter of
Jude,
a. which is
found right
before the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation.
b. The Epistle
of Jude
was written to meet the need of the hour in which it was produced,
c. and this
circumstance
determined its form and content.
3. In a secondary sense we may be sure
a. that it was
the
design of the Holy Spirit
b. to reveal a
portion
of God’s word which would have universal appeal,
1. and be utilized by Christians in all ages and places,
2. though it obviously was written to meet a local need.
4. It appears to have originally been the intention of the author
a. to write on
the theme
of the "common salvation,"
b. but an
emergency
suddenly arose which prompted him to revise his plan.
1. He accordingly suspended his proposed message
2. and wrote without delay to exhort his brethren "to earnestly
contend for the
faith which was once for all time delivered to the saints (Read Jude
1-3).
5. That which prompted a change in the writer's plans
a. was news that
false
teachers, deceitful workers
b. had appeared
on the
scene to seduce the saints
c. and corrupt
the
people of God, thus leading them astray.
6. The Lord's church generally, both in Palestine and in Asia
Minor,
a. was
constantly beset
with false teachers during the apostolic age,
b. and much of
the New
Testament was written to refute the various heresies
c. which arose
from time
to time.
1. These false teachers are particularly described later in the
Epistle
of Jude,
2. and their doctrines revealed.
7. Jude's object was to stir his readers to immediate resistance;
a. to impel them
to
reject all these false teachers and repudiate their teaching,
b. and to defend
with
all their might the faith which had been delivered them.
8. Our lesson this morning has the same objectives in mind.
a. We want to
impel you
to reject all the false teachers around and about us.
b. We want to
impel you
to defend with all your might
c. the faith
which has
been once for all time delivered unto us.
I.
God Has All Authority
1.
Now it is a fact, that all authority in religious matters
a. must forever
rest
with God (Quote Matthew 28:18).
b. By
"authority" we mean that power or right to bind commandments
c. and execute
judgment
upon violators.
2. The Holy Spirit said (Quote Col. 3:17).
a. Through His
divine
power God "has given us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him" (2 Pet 1:3).
b. Some men,
however,
have sought to lay claim to this authority,
1. but men do not have authority to reveal or originate religious
truth
2. or to make up religious commandments.
3. Those who vary from the Word of God in their teaching
a. do not have
"authority," they are merely "usurpers"
b. claimers of
the
authority that belongs to God.
4. In divine religion, God speaks and man believes;
a. God commands
and man
obeys; God offers and man accepts;
b. man comes and
God
receives; man submits and God pardons.
1. One can diligently search the Bible from cover to cover,
2. and he will not find a single violation of these principles.
5. From the very beginning of mankind,
a. it was God's
part to
command and man's to obey.
b. God told Adam
what
trees he could eat of,
c. and of which
he
should not (Gen 2:16-17).
6. Adam's transgression of this law of God's was "sin" (1 John
3:4).
a. If man has
the
authority to make up his own plan of obedience,
b. then he does
not have
to obey God at all.
c. He merely can
teach
and do what he wants to.
7. That's why denominational preachers like Billy Graham, Charles
Stanley, and Oral Roberts
a. are teaching
millions
that all one has to do to be saved is believe on Jesus
b. and accept
him into
their heart by saying some so called "sinner's prayer."
c. But the Bible
still
says (Quote Mark 16:16).
8. Another sad example of men going their own way is found in
Israelite
history.
a. We read in
Judges
21:25, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that
which was right in his own eyes."
b. From the time
of
Moses onward,
1. God revealed His will for men through chosen agents
2. whom He empowered and credentialed for speaking His will (2
Pet.
1:20-21).
9. In olden times, God spake through prophets (Heb 1:1);
a. later He sent
His Son
to be the mediator of the new covenant (Heb 1:2; 9:15).
b. Because it
was
necessary for Christ to be seated at the right hand of God
1. throughout the dispensation of grace,
2. which is this present dispensation we are living in,
c. Christ chose
certain
men whom He named "apostles" (1 Cor. 2:10-12).
10. Jesus gave them the message of God (John 17:8), and upon His
departure,
a. instructed
them to
teach all things He had commanded them (Matt 28:20).
b. He sent the
Holy
Spirit to empower and credential the apostles and NT prophets
c. for this holy
work
(John 14:26; Acts 1:8).
11. These men did not need, nor do they have any modern day successors,
a. for they were
guided
into "all truth" pertaining to religion and salvation (John 16:13).
b. What we must
humbly
understand is that there is no religious truth
c. that has not
already
been revealed through God's chosen disciples.
1. GIVE EXAMPLE of the Mormons and their prejudice against blacks
2. until a latter day revelation (cf. Acts 10:34-35).
12. The faith delivered through God’s chosen disciples
a. has been
delivered
once for all time (Jude 3).
b. And only by
obeying
God's will as delivered through these messengers
c. can we
worship God acceptably.
13. Those who rebelled against God's authority have been punished
a. (such as
Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram - Num. 16).
b. Those who are
disobedient to God today will also perish (Quote 2 Thess. 1:7-9).
14. Those who preach "another Gospel" are to be accursed (Gal 1:6-9).
a. Those who
twist and
wrest God's message
b. do so to
their own
destruction (2 Pet 3:16).
1. Those who "add to" or "take away from" God's Word
2. are under a divine curse (Rev 22:18-19).
II. There Is Only One Faith
1.
Jude said to earnestly contend for "the faith" (Jude 3).
a. We might ask,
"Which faith?"
b. Since Jude
who gave
this exhortation was an inspired NT prophet,
1. we can expect to find in the Bible something about
2. “the faith” for which he exhorted us to contend.
2. Well, the Bible teaches that there is but "one faith" (Eph
4:5).
a. Contrast this
with
the prevailing trend that says,
b. "One faith is
as
good as another.”
3. The faith for which Jude's readers were thus earnestly to
contend is
the Gospel...
a. God’s
wonderful Word.
b. The Gospel is
the sum
of all which Christians are to believe and obey.
4. The Gospel has facts to believe (1 Cor. 15:1-4),
a. commands to
obey
(Acts 15:7; Acts 2:38),
b. and promises
to enjoy
(Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21; 1 John 5:11).
5. The term "the Faith” is a part being used for the whole
Christian
system.
a. Our belief or
faith
is basic to the system of Christianity,
b. the proper
exercise
of which determines the salvation of those who embrace it.
6. A careful examination of the Scriptures will show that
a. wherever
matters of
true and divine doctrine are involved
b. the language
used is
always in the singular.
1. Not even once does the Scripture contradict the teaching
2. that there is only "one faith."
7. Notice the use of the singular term "the faith" in these
passages:
a. "Till we all
come in the unity of the faith" (Eph 4:13);
b. Paul "now
preacheth the faith which once he destroyed (Gal 1:23);
c. "Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith" (2 Cor 13:5);
d. "The priests
were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7);
e. "So were the
churches established in the faith" (Acts 16:5);
f. "Some shall
depart from the faith" (1 Tim 4:1).
8. Similar terms such as "doctrine" and "Gospel" also
are spoken of in the singular
a. when
referring to
God’s system of Christianity.
b. A few
examples:
1. "The apostles doctrine" (Acts 2:42);
2. "The doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9-10);
3. "Some would pervert the gospel of Christ" (Gal 1:6-9)
c. Contrast
these uses
of the singular
d. with the
plural use
of “the doctrines of men” (cf. Matt. 15:8-9; 1 Tim. 4:1).
9. It is essentially true that the very nature of the Christian
system
a. demands that
there be
but one faith.
b. Since there
is
"one Lord" (Eph 4:5),
1. in whom is vested all authority in Heaven and earth (Matt
28:18),
2. we know that there is but one faith emanating from Him.
10. Since the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all those
who
believe (Rom 1:16),
a. are we to say
that
another message which is not the Gospel of Christ
b. could be just
as
good? Certainly not!
11. The purpose, harmony and plan of the Christian system
a. demand the
oneness of
faith - the oneness of system.
b. In the
Christian
system, every man is to be of the same mind and judgment,
c. speaking the same thing (1 Cor 1:10; 1 Pet. 4:11).
III. Christ And The Church Are In A Battle With Falsehood
1. Now we are not talking about a man made church.
a. We are talking about the church which originated from Heaven.
b. When we speak
about
the church,
1. the word "church" comes from the Greek ekklesia,
2. meaning "assembly," coming from two root words meaning
"called out."
c. We are called
out of
the world by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14).
2. All saved people are added to the church (Acts 2:47).
a. The church or
body is
made up of all the saved (Eph. 5:23).
b. And there is
only one
body (Eph. 4:4).
3. The head of the church is Christ.
a. Christ is
head over
all things to the church (Eph. 1:22-23).
b. Christ is the
head of
the body (Col. 1:18).
1. We are to hear Christ instead of Moses and the prophets (Matt.
17:5)
2. Christ is the only lawgiver and judge (James 4:12).
4. The church of the New Testament is a unity, not divided into
denominations.
a. Christ
promised to
build only one church (Matt. 16:18).
b. Christ prayed
for the
unity of his followers (John 17:20-21).
1. The early church was united (Acts 4:32).
2. Paul taught that the church should be united (1 Cor. 1:10;
12:20;
12:13).
5. The church sustains special relationships.
a. To God.
1. It is the family or house of God (Eph. 3:15; 1 Tim. 3:14-15).
2. Its members are children of God (Rom. 8:16; Gal. 3:26).
b. To the world.
1. Keep unspotted from the world (James 1:27).
2. Love not the world (1 John 2:15-17).
6. The church is Christ's.
a. He promised
to build
his church (Matt. 16:18).
b. He purchased
it with
his blood (Acts 20:28).
c. It is called
by his
name (Rom. 16:16; Gal. 1:22).
7. The church has a glorious heritage.
a. An eternal
inheritance (Heb. 9:15).
b. Pictured as
the new
Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-27).
8. But remember, Christ and the church are in a battle with
falsehood.
9. Listen to me now, if you ask the average religious man if he
obeys the
will of God,
a. he will
probability
say he does.
b. The average
denominational visitor to our services on Sunday or Wednesday
c. believes he
has
obeyed the will of God.
10. And yet, truthfully speaking,
a. the average
man
believes things that he is taught,
b. and does
things that
he hears from religious leaders
1. without consulting God's authoritative Word
2. to see whether those things are true or not (cf. Acts 17:11).
11. And time upon time, his "religion"
a. does not
conform with
the Bible religion (James 1:26-27).
b. Really it is
a case
of the "blind leading the blind."
c. And Jesus
says they
"both shall fall into the ditch" (Matt. 15:14).
12. We are living in an age when self-appointed men
a. have no dread
in
assuming divine prerogatives.
b. Men seem to
have no
fear in rising up,
1. saying that they are sent of God,
2. while they in many instances deny the very things
3. that God has said in His Word.
4. And many follow their pernicious ways (2 Pet. 2:1-3).
13. Any man who claims to have a new message,
a. a special
revelation
from God, or authority to speak for God
b. separate and
apart
from the Word of God
c. is an
individual who
is definitely a FALSE TEACHER.
14. If there were no false teaching,
a. there would
be no
call to contend for the faith.
b. If all men
recognized
the one faith,
c. there would
be no
occasion to contend for the faith.
15. But, whenever false doctrine is taught,
a. wherever
false human
religious systems are in existence,
b. there is the
divine
call to contend for the faith.
16. False doctrine must be exposed that men's souls be not lost (Tit.
1:10-11).
a. Surely every
sane
person who beholds the many cults,
b.
denominations, and
contradicting doctrines of the day
c. recognizes
that they
cannot all be true and right.
17. False teaching is all about us.
a. Peter said,
“But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you...” (2 Pet. 2:1).
b. And because there is false teaching, there must be contending
for the
faith.
IV. Seven Examples Of False Teaching
1. Let’s look at one specific and six general examples
a. of how men are usurping the authority of God with their false
teachings.
b. First
specifically,
there’s the Roman Catholic system,
1. with her claims that she is the sole authoritative interpreter
of the
Bible
2. and her supposed infallible Pope.
2. Next, we have the church councils and creeds
a. which claim
to speak
with authority upon various religious doctrines.
b. Then,
so-called
modernism or humanism
1. denies the unique inspiration and authority of God's Word,
2. and exalts the individual in its place.
3. Fourth, there are those who respect their church customs,
habits, or
traditions
a. even though
they
differ from the Scriptures.
b. Fifth, there
is an
increasingly large “New Age Group”
1. who give heed to their human inclinations or opinions,
2. saying that the Spirit "told them such and such,
3. or that they have received a special "inner light."
4. Sixth, many people accept whatever their preacher,
a. their
professor,
their quarterly, or their church says
b. in place of
what the
Bible says.
5. And seventh, there are those who plainly teach false doctrine
(1 Tim.
4:1).
6. Whatever or whoever the human usurper may be,
a. let us all
always
remember that
b. "we ought to
obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
V. Why Should We Contend For The Faith?
1. Let us notice four reasons.
2.
We should contend for the faith because it is plainly taught in the
Word of
God.
a. The
exhortation of
Jude 3 is unmistakably clear.
b. The Greek
word from
which "earnestly contend" has been translated
1. means "to contend strenuously in defense of; to wrestle,"
2. and as here figuratively used, denotes the extreme efforts
c. which are to
characterize the faithful in their defense of the truth,
d. however
formidable
and numerous its enemies may be.
3. When Paul left Timothy at Ephesus,
a. Timothy was
to combat
false teachers (1 Tim. 1:3).
b. The
Philippians were
to "stand fast with one mind striving together for the faith of the
gospel" (Phil. 1:27).
4. Faithful elders are to likewise combat false teachers (Tit.
1:9-11).
a. Paul
commanded Titus
to rebuke the Cretians sharply
b. that they
might be
sound in the faith (Tit. 1:12-13).
5. These combat efforts are of a moral and persuasive nature
only;
a. all force of
a
physical nature is expressly forbidden for the faithful...
b. “for the
weapons of
our warfare are not carnal” (2 Cor. 10:4).
6. When Peter sought to defend the Lord with a sword he was
rebuked for
his pains;
a. and when
Jesus made
him put the sword up
b. He
forevermore made
it clear that His followers
c. are not to
fight with
carnal weapons in His behalf (Matt. 26:50-54).
7. Again, Jesus said (Read John 18:36).
8. Second, we should contend for the faith in order to purify the
church.
a. The church is
purified by obeying the truth (1 Pet. 1:22).
b. God is not
pleased
with false teaching in the church.
1. Christ held it against the church in Thyatira because they
permitted
Jezebel,
2. a woman who called herself a prophetess, to teach (Rev. 2:20).
9. If faithful Christians refuse to contend for the faith,
a. false
teachings and
practices will flourish
b. and multiply
in the
church (1 John 4:1; 1 Thess. 5:21).
10. Third, we should contend for the faith to scatter the fog for the
truth
seeker.
a. To the
ordinary man,
the religious divisions of the day are nothing but confusing.
b. With his
small amount
of denominational teaching,
c. he is unable
to know
just what is right.
1. He gropes in darkness until somebody comes to free him
2. by teaching him the truth (John 8:32).
11. Not until he understands the truth is he able to detect just
wherein error
lies.
a. To aid this
great
class, we must teach the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9)
b. and point out
the
erroneous teachings of men (Rom. 16:17).
12. Fourth, we should contend for the faith in order to save people
a. who need to
come out
of false teachings and false religious systems.
b. As we have
seen,
false teaching is sin (1 John 5:17).
1. It causes men to worship in vain (Matt. 15:9).
2. It damns both the leader and the follower (Matt. 15:14).
13. But, generally, men entangled therein do not realize that such
teachings
are wrong.
a. Jesus said
(Quote
Matthew 7:21-23).
b. In order,
therefore,
that they might be converted
1. from heretical teaching and saved in Christ Jesus,
2. they must be taught the way of the Lord.
14. God calls and commands concerning Babylon with her false religion
(Read Rev
18:4).
a. But how will
they be
persuaded to come out
b. unless we go
forth
and press the wonderful Word of God to their hearts?
(Rom 10:13-15).
15. As Christians, and as preachers and teachers
a. we must be
set for
the defense of the Gospel.
b. We must
combat false
teaching.
1. We must contend for the faith.
2. And this contending must be done "Earnestly,"
3. not hesitantly, not shamefully, not half-heartedly.
Conclusion
1. What a warrior for divine truth was the apostle Paul!
a. Wherever he
went, he
reasoned, he disputed,
b. he contended
with
those bound in error.
2. It seems he was constantly in a fight for the Lord.
a. With truth,
he could
utter in his last days,
"I have fought a good fight...I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7).
b. Paul refused
to
compromise the faith,
c. but stood
solidly
against false teaching and false teachers.
3. If we contrast Paul's preaching with the average preaching
today,
a. we wonder how
many
congregations
b. would let a
preacher
like Paul preach for them?
4. Isn't it still right to contend for the faith as Paul did?
5. In this lesson, we’ve rebuked the deceitful workers
a. threatening
the peace
and security of the church;
b. we've
condemned those
who have corrupted the faith
c. and seek to
lead the
saints astray;
1. and now we commit each of you, under the sound of our pen,
2. to the Source of all Good (Read Jude 24-25).
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