;Today is the day that the Lord has made. So let us rejoice and be glad in it. And everyone said with all of our hearts, amen, amen. My name is Ryan, I'm lead pastor here at Peace Church. If we haven't had a chance to meet yet, sure would love to make that happen

before you leave here today. And as we get going, I wanna start with this question for you. What would it take for you to step in? What would it take for you to get involved, involved in what you might say?

You know what I mean. If there's something going on, what would it take for you to step in? You've all seen those hidden camera movies online where you see a situation happening, clearly fabricated, clearly staged, but the people around don't know. And there's some sort of conflict going on. They're trying to measure what would it take for people to step involved, to step outside their comfort zone or step into a situation that doesn't directly involve them, what would it take to get involved? What would it take for you to step in?

Now, before you continue that thought, let me just play a little mentalist here for a moment. I'm willing to bet you're thinking about a situation that doesn't directly involve you. Because if it does involve you, if you're personally connected to what's going on, there's no question about stepping in and getting involved. Because, here's what I want you to remember, we are more apt to take action when it's personal. We're more apt to respond to an offense if we take it personally. It is one thing for men to joke about how wives are, right? Nick,

you know what I'm talking about? You know how wives are, right? I mean, it's one thing to talk about that, but it's another thing to just talk about how your wife is.

Yeah, we can have fun about how wives are,

but don't talk about how my wife is, because suddenly we're gonna have a different sort of conversation. Amen, gentlemen? Because we're more apt to take action when it's personal. We're more willing to put ourselves out there.

We're more willing to sacrifice when it's personal. A kid gets bullied at school, we feel bad about that. Your kid gets bullied at school, now the teacher's getting a call. Some of you will skip that teacher, leap frog the president, you're going right to the superintendent. I see you. A kid gets bullied, we feel bad, but our kid gets bullied. Well now we're more apt to take action when it's personal. And if that's true, do you think that's true?

Okay, so if that's true, then I can show you how personal your faith is by how much action you're willing to take for it. I can tell how much you love Christ by how willing you are to put yourself out there, how willing you are to risk embarrassment, incur pain, how much you're willing to sacrifice.

I can tell how much you love Christ by how much you're willing to put yourself out there. Do I really love my wife if I will only tell her that I love her but I would never tell anyone else? You're more willing to take action when it's personal. Our world has told us something and many of us have bought into this. Our world has said that faith is a personal matter, and what they mean is that faith is a private matter,

so don't you dare bring it into the public square. And too many of us have bought into that, and so what we've done is we've hidden our faith with some sort of fear, or maybe you need to call it out and even say some sort of cowardice, but I'm here to tell you, we have all just agreed

that you're willing to take action if it's personal. So how personal is your faith? Well I guess I can tell by how much action you're willing to take because that's what we just said. Are you willing to not just believe but are you willing to take a stand? Are you willing to not just love Jesus but contend for the faith? Because my friends that's been the call upon Christians since the very beginning. In fact, Jesus' own brother, Jude, right at the onset of Christianity, writes a letter, an open letter to Christians, and one of the main things he says

is that we are to contend for the faith. And so I'd ask you to turn there, turn there now to the book that Jude wrote. It's actually a letter that he wrote, and here's a shortcut for you. It's the second to the last book of the Bible. Jump on down, we're gonna look at verses 17 to 23 today as we see this, that the purpose is personal. If you wanna use the Bible, it's happy for you to do that.

That's on page 1308. And in this letter, Jude reminds us that if we're going to be faithful people, it will affect us personally. And we personally need to respond. So here we are, third week in our series on Jude verses 17 to 23. I would ask you, if you are able, would you please stand for the reading of God's

Word here this morning. Would you hear the Word of the Lord, the letter of Jude verses 17 to 23. Would you hear God's Word? But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions,

worldly people, devoid of the spirits. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus that leads to eternal life.

And have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others show mercy with fear, hating even the garments stained by the flesh. Amen. This is God's word. Remain standing as we say a quick prayer.

God of heaven and earth, you have personally revealed yourself to be our Father. You are the master and designer of all creation. You are the Lord of the universe and yet you revealed yourself as our Father. I ask here now, Lord, that you continue to pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so we might know you more fully by the words you've inspired in Jude's letter. And we do pray

these things in the name of the one who personally saved our souls. It's in Jesus' name that we pray these things. And everyone said, amen, amen. Go ahead and have a seat. Let me give you just one overarching thought here, church family, for today.

As we think about our faith not being just an abstract thing but faith being that thing that literally drives every action of our life. Here's our main point for this morning. We are to contend for the faith because the purpose is personal.

Our faith does not come with a blank check that gives you license to do whatever you want. Our faith comes with a purpose to be fulfilled because God has a plan and he has a purpose and that includes you. Seven verses, we'll look at three points here today. Let's take it verse by verse. First point is this, the purpose is personal so it will affect you.

Look at verse 17. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the word you here is actually plural, meaning you all, but the point here is written to all of us so that we would remember this one thing,

to keep in front of our minds what the apostles said was going to happen. They predicted this. Verse 18. They said to you, in the last time. Now let's stop there real quick.

In the last time. Doesn't mean previously, like we would say, the last time I went to the grocery store. Last time here means the last times, meaning the end times. But Jude is also speaking of his time.

So I may mess with a few people's eschatology here real quick. Meaning Jude saw the epoch or the period of time after the resurrection of Jesus as the last time, the end times, the time that he was living in, meaning the time between the resurrection of Jesus

and the return of Christ. This is clearly also the time that we are living in. But listen to how Jude and what he says is happening in his time, and try to tell me this isn't also happening in our time. Look at verse 18.

They, the apostles, they said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. Do I even need to translate this? Do I need to make an argument for this? Is this not happening in our day?

There will be people who ridicule and despise faithful Christians as they themselves choose to follow their own ways rather than God's ways. The term Jude uses is even more explicit. He says ungodly passions,

meaning they follow their feelings that are opposed to the things of God. Church, listen to me. Just because your passion is sincere does not make it right. Just because you have a sincere feeling doesn't mean it is right before God. You will be, as a Christian, you will be laughed at by people who they themselves sit in their own sin and Jude is warning us about this. He's reminding us of this warning because look at what he says about them in verse 19.

It is these who cause divisions, worldly people devoid of the spirit. Church, and here comes the confrontation. You will be scoffed at. If you want to be a faithful Christian in this world, you will be scoffed at. Your beliefs ridiculed and attacked as people give themselves to the pleasure of sin while we ourselves remain in the joy that only comes through God's love and righteousness. They will bring division. They'll seek to do it in the church and they most certainly will do it in your lives. But if you have a true and personal faith, you must remember it will affect you. Of course it will. It's personal. Our faith is personal. When it's attacked, it hurts. You will be affected. True faith will come into true conflict with those who are immersed in the ways of the

world and opposed to the true ways that God has revealed. Just like we don't let our children do whatever they want, God does not let us do whatever we want because he has a better plan for us, just like how we have a better plan for our kids. Jude calls them worldly people, meaning you'll see people who are more in love, involved, and interested in the affairs of this world and the entertainment they're in, rather than what God is doing in this world through his kingdom. Now these opening verses

here, 17 to 19, you'll see that Jude is pointing out fake and wayward Christians that were in their midst, but then he turns with the rest of the letter and begins to address the true believers, exhorting us to continue in the faith, but not just continue, but to contend for the faith because our faith is secure if we remember this next thing. And this is point number two. The purpose is personal, so stay in God's love. Let me read verse 20 to you, and you tell me if something sounds familiar. But you, beloved, right there,

Right there.

For the second time in our passage today, and for a total of four times in this short 25-verse letter, Jude addresses Christians as beloved. My grandma was about the most down-to-earth person you've ever met in your life. She was just simply and always her awesome self. She was not prideful. She never gave a compliment that was actually some sort of backhanded jab.

She was selfless. And she loved me. And she never said anything weird, like how grandparents sometimes do. You know what I'm talking about? She never said anything weird, except for this one thing. She didn't say it all the time, but every now and again she would say this weird thing.

And I didn't understand it then, but I tell you, I understand it now. Every now and again, she would call me beloved. And she'd say it like that, beloved. I didn't understand it then, but I understand it now. Do you know what beloved means?

Beloved is taking the sentence, you are loved, and turning it into a title. She would call me beloved, because that was her way of saying, you are loved, and I'm the one that loves you. Christians, you are loved by God

with an eternal and flawless love. You are beloved, not just beloved, you are beloved. We need to say it like that because that just sounds more regal like what's befitting for sons and daughters in the kingdom of God who are beloved by the God on high.

Verse 20, but you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. That was a thick, rich statement, but there's some critical phrasing in there, so we want to make sure we get it right.

Let's look at it piece by piece. Verse 20. Building yourselves up in your most holy faith, meaning you are ever meant to be growing in faith. You are not meant to get stagnant or stop. Faith is something that's ever to be developing

in your life. So here's the obvious question for us all. Have you grown in your faith over the last year? Has your faith increased? If not, why not? What are you doing with your life that God, the most important thing that there is, is not the priority of your life? My friends, have you stopped contending? Do you no longer put up a fight? You are to ever be building yourselves up in your most holy faith. So simply ask yourself, I'm not asking you, I'm asking you to ask yourself, have you become a worldly person?

A person who's, who can't see beyond this momentary life to see the eternal calling that God has placed on you. Have you become a worldly person? You just check your social media and find out. We are to stay in God's love. That's what keeps us separate. If you're not growing in your faith, then I'm willing to bet it's because that your prayer life is either non-existent or your prayer life is on life support. And it's no wonder that Jude says this in the next saying.

He says, praying in the Holy Spirit. Yes, pray to the Father. Yes, pray under the name of Jesus. But be praying in the Spirit. He's not talking about speaking in tongues. He's simply talking about being in step with the Holy Spirit. That we pray in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ has returned to heaven. He no longer walks among us. But what He has done is sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who now walks among us as he fills the church and fills you, calling you to a more holy, holy faith. You can't grow in your faith without the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. So pray in him. And then in

verse 21, we get what is the chief commandment of today's passage. This is the left hook. This is the imperative. This is the state of command. This is your great to do in light of today's message What are you supposed to do in light of today's message exactly what Jude says here in verse 21? keep yourselves in the love of God That's the primary love. That's the love that forms and frames all other loves that we have in our life right now I don't know if you've noticed this but it really seems like right now more than ever in our world

There are so many calls to love your neighbor. I hear it all the time Clearly it's it's coming out of the political climate or the perceived political climate that we have in our world that we feel like there's This this need to constantly remind each other. We are to love our neighbor. Let me remind you my dear friends Yes, we are to love the Lord your God. And that is the love, the love that God directs and dictates. That is the love that forms our love for our neighbors. The left does not decide what it means. The

right does not decide what it means. The centrists in our culture do not decide what love means. God does, because God's love is perfect. And it's that love that we are to stay in the love that was so great that God sent his son to die on the cross in our place for our sin and on the third day rise again so that we could not just experience God's love but so that we can have eternal life with which we get to experience this love and that's why Judah's so quick to end his thought like

this keeping yourselves in the love of God waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life because there is no experiencing God's love that does not come through the gospel of Jesus Christ that is the bullseye of this passage we are to stay in God's love not the world's love not the love of self not your boyfriend's love but the love of God his personal love for you, which readies us for this last part. The purpose is personal, so remember your mission. Christians in the house, you are an

ambassador of Jesus Christ in this world. Jesus has told us what our mission is to make disciples. And we do this by loving our neighbor and by sharing the gospel. And so yes families, hear me, especially dads in the house, this starts in your home. But every Christian is on mission and it is assigned without qualification by Jesus Christ himself. And it's called the Great Commission. It's the last great imperative that he gave us before he returned to heaven, that we are to go into all the world and make

disciples to teach them about Jesus so that they might receive the gospel and come to know God's great unending love for them. And then Jude gives us a very important reminder about this. Verse 22 is so clear. Look at verse 22. He says, And have mercy on those who doubt. Now if you remember, if you're here on week one of this sermon series, I said something, and I was surprised about how many gasps I heard

in light of this. In week one, I said that my strongest words are not for unbelievers, but for believers who sow discord in the church. Christians, we should hold a higher standard for each other, for those who should know better,

but for those who don't, we extend mercy to them. Mercy, not because they don't deserve it. If they deserved it, it wouldn't be mercy. If they deserved it, that would be called justice. But they don't deserve it. But we give mercy to them anyway, just like how God gives mercy to us,

even though we are undeserving. We extend mercy because they don't know better. Have mercy on those who doubt. And I've said it before, I'll say it again, I'll say it until you are sick of me saying it. But at Peace Church, we want to be a place where people feel safe to ask their questions and express their doubts.

We invite that, we want that, we want to be a place for you to be able to talk about the faith and wrestle through questions. We want to engage that for however awkward it may be, but I'm telling you, we will be merciful to you in the midst of that because we love you and because we are commanded to. So express your doubts, express your concerns, ask great questions. We want that. And we will be merciful. We'll be merciful for those who doubt as we want them to work through

their doubts and concerns so that they might come to know Jesus Christ fully. Or as Jude says in verse 23, as we are continued to do, as he says in verse 23, love your neighbor as your... Oh wait, that's not what he says. In this great moral imperative of what Christians are supposed to do in this world, did you see what he says next? Verse 23, it's not love your neighbor as yourself. Verse 23, save others by snatching them out of the fire.

Because without the covering of Christ's pain for our sins, our destiny is judgment. Judgment for our sin. And with the guilty verdict already clear and pronounced, all that is left for us is punishment which the Bible has a name for and it's called hell. Hell is the eternal separation from God and it is the proper and just punishment for our sins. Don't get hung up if you think hell is an unjust, unjust place. No, no, no, you need to understand hell is a

perfectly just place. It is the proper and right equal proportionate punishment John 3 verse 36 says this, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. See, we don't know that verse

because people don't post that verse on social media. The wrath of God remains on him because that's what those who are in their sin can expect. It results in the final right in eternal punishment, in eternal separation of God, as we will spend eternity paying off our sins

because that's what our sins properly deserve. It will take a literal eternity to pay for your sins. And listen to me, my friends, you don't have to believe in a God who would send people to hell. Just don't say that you believe

in the God of the Bible then. Jude is reminding us that our mission is even more dire than life and death. It is the difference between heaven and hell. This is no laughing matter, which is why Jude closes up his passage, continuing this serious vein, when he says this, to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. What does that mean, the garment stained by the flesh? It simply means that we just don't hate sin. We are to hate sin

But we are to hate everything that sin touches Because sin separates us from God. What Judas is saying is that our love is meant to produce mercy for people But even in the midst of this we are still to maintain our identity in Christ as we pursue holiness We do not mess with sin, but our cell phones just keep us in such proximity to it. I'm saying this because I love you and I'm saying this because you need to hear this. We hate even the cell phones tainted by sin, don't we? So the question is, is are you

doing this? Are you showing mercy? Are you sharing the gospel to save people from hell? Because listen to me my friends, if all you are doing is loving your neighbor, but not sharing the gospel with them, then all you are doing is holding their hand as you personally escort them to hell. Loving your neighbor is the second commandment, subservient to the first, which forms and fuels the second commandment. Here's the problem, here's the great problem with the human heart, and you find it even in churches, is we take

secondary things and we make them primary things. And that's why things get all messed up, and that's why things rung amok, because we take secondary things and we make them primary things. Church, my friends, we need to make the primary thing the primary thing. The very first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. But these are the commandments, the commission Jesus has given us. The mission is to go and make disciples, to announce and share the name of Jesus Christ. If he's your personal Lord and Savior, then you must take this personally.

And if it's personal, then you'd be willing to act. But too many of us are not on mission because it stopped being personal. Christians in the house, let me ask you, whose funeral do you have to attend before you realize you waited too long?

Whose funeral do you have to cry at before you realize you waited too long to share the name of Jesus? Some of you are not contending for the faith simply because you need to realize, and I say this with love,

I say this with the utmost love,

some of you need to realize you're not contending for the faith

because you actually don't have faith. I say this with the utmost love. Some of you need to realize you're not contending for the faith because you actually don't have faith. What you have is a tradition of going to church on Sunday and maybe even serving at that church,

but if it was personal, then we all just agreed that would result in real action in our lives, action according to God's commands and God's outline, that we would contend for the faith, not just on Sunday, but Monday to Saturday. See, the letter of Jude does something

that we don't like to do in our world. The letter of Jude is all about drawing contrast. Contrast between those who have fallen away, those who have stayed strong, between those who are in love with the things of the world and those who are walking in step with the Holy Spirit,

between those who just maintain and those who are actually on mission. Yes, the purpose is personal. So let me encourage you again, contend. Contend for the faith because the purpose is personal. Don't just take it seriously. Take it personally. Take action. Contend for the faith. Listen my friends, this doesn't

happen by faking it. Hate to tell you, but it's kind of easy to tell. This happens by first and foremost staying in the love that God has expressed to you through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stay in his love, praying in the spirit. My friends, stop clowning around

and start contending for the faith. Start taking it personally. Because we have a personal God who personally sent his son, who personally died for you, personally gave up his life so that you could have not just a personal hope but a living hope a hope realized because

listen to me jesus has already done the work i am not talking about earning your salvation we don't live out our faith in order to hopefully one day gain salvation we live out our faith we take action because we already have it made secure. We don't follow God to earn salvation, we follow God because we already have it. Listen, my friends, the call is simple. Now is the time to contend for the faith, to take real action because Jesus took real action in pouring out His blood to save you.

Let that encourage you. Don't feel condemned by that. Feel more empowered to contend for the faith. And one of the ways we do that, yes, is by standing shoulder to shoulder as we sing praises to the one who saved us.

Amen.

My friends, we're gonna sing a song that I've actually personally chosen that we'd sing because of the number of times we talk about the personal pronouns in this, that Jesus has saved me, he's my living hope. Not because we don't have a corporate faith,

we most certainly do, but you also have a personal faith. And so here's what I'd say to you, listen to me. Before you start getting your purse ready and putting your Bibles away, listen to me.

It does not matter what sort of morning you had.

Does not matter what sort of week you had. If you feel worthy, something's off. God is not waiting for you to get cleaned up to come to him. He wants you to come to him right now in this moment. The devil will want to tell you, if you sing this song right now, you're a hypocrite.

The devil will say to you, if you sing this song right now, you're just a massive hypocrite. Look at your life this past week. This is where you say, get behind me, Satan. And you turn and look upon the Father through the Son

in step with the Holy Spirit and right now as a church we personally and together sing that Jesus is our, He's my living hope. So may you lift up your voice as we sing together a song that announces that there is one hope and His voice as we sing together a song that announces that there is one hope and His name is Jesus. Would you please stand