Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
July 30, 2023
INTRO
On June 11, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies met at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to appoint a committee to draft a document that would absolve their allegiance to the British crown.
(SLIDE 2) The “Committee of Five”, as it was called, consisted of Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.
They selected young Thomas Jefferson to write the first draft under the advisement of the committee. This document would be revised, approved, and sent to the representatives from each colony, becoming the official Declaration of Independence from England.
In Thomas Jefferson’s original draft, he proposed these words: (SLIDE 3) “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.”
Sounds a little different from what you remember from history class, huh? Jefferson’s draft leaned heavily on a theistic worldview, borrowing biblical language like “sacred” and “created”. This draft was sent to Benjamin Franklin for his input. Ben Franklin grew up in a devout Puritan family, but later in life was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment. Although he still said believed in God, he elevated human reason and human knowledge as paramount. He had moved toward a worldview that sets God aside and trusts in human moral capacity.
And so Ben Franklin made a few edits to Jefferson’s draft. Most notably, he removed the words “sacred and undeniable” and replaced them with the words “self-evident.” “We hold these truths to be [not sacred and undeniable, but] self-evident.”
This small change revealed something about his worldview: Human rights are self-evident, they are obvious to any reasonable and observant person, they make sense naturally. You don’t need God to tell you that human beings have rights, says Franklin.
Now, the Declaration still speaks of “being endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights”, so the theistic worldview wasn’t totally eliminated. But you can see the tension in the Founding Fathers and the subtle shifts that were already happening in American culture to begin removing God from the equation and to elevate humanity as supreme decider of truth and morality.
(SLIDE 4, title) You see, ever since the Garden of Eden, we’ve been tempted to make ourselves the arbiters of right and wrong, we’ve tended to displace God as God, and instead substitute ourselves as gods and determiners of our own destiny. This temptation can sometimes be obvious rejection of God, and sometimes it can be subtle and even sound pious and moral.
There are not-so-subtle shifts in Christianity in our day. One example is the culture of consumption that has infected the church in America. ILLUST — I like to call this “Life-Hack Christianity”. It is the kind of discipleship that provides shortcuts or simple steps toward being the best Christian you can be, and packages it up nice so that it feels good.
But there is a dark side to Consumer Christianity: it creates an idol of self. And this is really the spirit of our age, the idol of self. It not only entices us to view ourselves as consumers, but it also causes us to diminish the authority of God and to place ourselves as the judge of truth and morality. It can lead to rejecting the historic truths of the faith and living in ways that are contrary to God’s good design and purpose.
Friends, the church in every age faces the threat of drifting into idolatry and compromise. Our age is no different. And this is why we are going to study the book of Jude this morning. The book of Jude is a prophetic book for our cultural moment.
Jude was the younger brother of Jesus, and he was a leader in the church in the early days when the gospel was just beginning to spread around the Roman Empire.
He wrote this letter to help churches navigate tumultuous times when people are compromising doctrine, twisting Christianity to suit their personal desires, and being led astray by false teachers and false gospels.
Our topic today is worldview and culture. We are going to talk about “contending for the faith.” Jude is going to help us understand what it means to remain faithful to the gospel in an age of compromise. Let’s read our text. READ Jude.
ORG SENT — Here’s how the letter flows: First there is a call to contend for the faith (vv. 1-4). Second there is a warning about the fate of those who twist the gospel (vv. 5-16). Third there is an encouragement to remain faithful (vv. 17-25).
MAIN 1 — Call to Contend (vv. 1-4). (SLIDE 5a)
If you look at the greeting in verse 1, Jude shows his pastor’s heart by using three specific words to describe the recipients of this letter: Called, loved, and kept. (SLIDE 5b)
Called = chosen, called forth, brought from death to life. It is a work of God!
Loved = those who receive God’s unmerited favor. Again, a work of God!
Kept = protected, guarded, ensured to arrive safely home with Jesus. Another work of God!
KEY: These apply to us! In every way, we are the humble recipients of God’s grace, the objects of his love and care, and those whom he safeguards to forever enjoy his kingdom. So no matter what happens in the culture around us, we are secure as God’s beloved children!
Now, Jude then launches right into a challenge here in verse 3. READ v. 3.
Contend = (SLIDE 5c) Athletic metaphor. It means “to strive, struggle against great odds, push to win the prize.” It is this sense of striving and stretching toward the finish line.
ILLUST — Some of you know that I’m a huge fan of cross-country skiing. When the winter Olympics come around, you can find me watching hours and hours of cross-country skiing.
One of my favorite moments came in 2018 when Afton resident Jessie Diggins won the first ever gold medal for US women’s cross-country skiing. She was behind at the last turn, and she made a pass on the outside in the last 100 meters to take the gold medal by a boot! (SLIDE 6) It is this striving and stretching for the finish line that Jude has in mind.
What are believers to contend for? — (SLIDE 7a) “the faith once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” KEY: We aren’t contending for our own truth, or for our church’s brand, or for our own version of moral standards. We aren’t to contend for the cultural flavor of the day or new theologies or interpretations of the Bible, like many progressive churches are doing today. I want you to ponder these important words:
(SLIDE 7b) The Faith = historic beliefs and practices of Christianity.
(SLIDE 7c) Once for all = the gospel’s finality, historic roots, that it cannot be changed or modified after the fact.
(SLIDE 7d) Entrusted = it is something we receive as a gift, and we have a responsibility or stewardship to pass the true gospel on to the next generation.
IMPORTANT — The historic Christian faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is something that exists outside of us…it is a precious gift that has been planned by God, defined by God, revealed by God, achieved by God, applied by God, and will endure by God’s power and his goodness and his promises. The gospel is something that is thoroughly God-centered and yet has been entrusted to us as a message of good news that we herald and good news that transforms us.
APPLY — This is why we care so much about preaching and teaching the Bible here at New Life. We want to continue growing as a church that stands as a bulwark for truth, founded in God’s Word, surrendering ourselves to God’s authority and the transforming work he wants to do in our lives.
ILLUST — Charles Spurgeon once said, (SLIDE 7e) “The Word of God is the anvil upon which the opinions of men are smashed.”
ILLUST — I would recommend to you a pair of books by Pastor Mark Sayers entitled Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience and Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of our Post-Christian Culture. In these books, Mark challenges the church to move from consuming to contending:
(SLIDE 8a) Consuming = pursuit of comfort and avoidance of challenges. It is about the accumulation of external things.
(SLIDE 8b) Contending = pursuit of transformation and the embrace of challenges. It is about the formation of the internal things.
KEY: Contending for the faith requires humility, surrender to God’s authority, and a willingness to live in the reality of God’s truth no matter what others say.
Jude here presents a different picture when it comes to those who are compromising their faith and teaching others to do the same. (SLIDE 9a) READ v. 4.
Two accusations: twist God’s grace, deny Jesus’ lordship. (SLIDE 9b)
Here’s the situation in the 1st century church: It was common to have itinerate preachers who would go from town to town to teach, and they would be like traveling salesmen. They were paid for their speaking skill and creative ideas. ILLUST — Frankly, it is not very different from the monetizing of platforms like YouTube. It becomes tempting to tell people what their itching ears want to hear when you can get more clicks or more views, reaping the advertising royalties while leading people astray.
You see, Jude is speaking specifically about false teachers in the 1st century who have created a one-dimensional gospel that only speaks of grace and love, but never talks about obedience, or God’s authority to determine right/wrong, or conforming to the image of Christ. He’s not writing against non-believers generally, but against those who claim the name of Christ and yet create their own interpretation of morality. It is the same today!
ILLUST — Mark Sayers says that (SLIDE 9c) “People today want the kingdom without the King.” They want peace, justice, unity, forgiveness, love, and goodness. These things are actually features of God’s kingdom; they are his good purpose and design for his creation. But people in our culture don’t realize that you can’t achieve these things without the King who achieves and instills and promises all these things when we come under HIS RULE AND REIGN!
And so, just like Jude’s day, there are people today who twist God’s grace as a license for sin, and there are people who deny Jesus’ lordship and authority because it doesn’t align with the way they think things ought to be.
MAIN 2 — Warning About Those Who Twist The Gospel (vv. 5-16). (SLIDE 10a)
Friends, I wish I had time to get into all the details of the Old Testament allusions and metaphors of this middle section. But what is most important is for us to understand is what was going on in this church that Jude was writing to: Some teachers claimed to have special visionary experiences or prophetic dreams where they supposedly learned that God had changed his moral standards. (SLIDE 10b)
APPLY: This is not too different from today. There are people who claim that the standards have changed, that they have become enlightened to understand that the writers of the Bible were culturally conditioned, and that we can’t possibly expect to uphold the traditional morals of the Scriptures. But Jude has some strong things to say to those who would claim such authority to re-write morality.
Jude spends this whole middle section of the letter giving a list of Old Testament stories, Jewish apocalyptic references, and powerful metaphors that call out these false teachers for their moral and theological compromise. He calls out these false teachers in verses 8-16. (SLIDE 10c) Just listen to some of the things he says, because they are eerily prophetic to speak to our culture today:
Verse 8 — “In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.”
Verse 10 — “Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand”
Verse 12 — “These people are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.”
Verse 16 — “These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”
This last one sounds like social media to me!
Here’s the point friends: Things don’t look good for those who twist the gospel for their own personal gain or to satisfy their own personal desires. This is scary and it is humbling.
So, what do we do? This is where Jude give specific encouragement for believers who find themselves in an age of compromise.
MAIN 3 — Encouragement to Remain Faithful (vv. 17-25). (SLIDE 11a)
Verses 17-19 put us in the right perspective. Look at these verses again. READ v. 17-19
(SLIDE 11b) “In the last times” is an eschatological statement; it is about the end of all things. Jude is widening our perspective to help us place our cultural moment into the grand plan of God to superintend history toward his redemptive ends.
He is saying, “The apostles told you this would happen. There will be people who scoff at your biblical faith. They will try to divide you, but they don’t have the Spirit. These are signs of the end, but don’t forget that Jesus has a plan!”
Here’s what we are told to do: (SLIDE 11c) There are fours practices in verses 20-21 to contend for the faith — building, praying, keeping, waiting.
(SLIDE 11d) Building = constructing a durable, vibrant faith by pursuing God wholeheartedly.
(SLIDE 11e) Praying = seeking the Lord, guided by the Holy Spirit.
(SLIDE 11f) Keeping = remaining, guarding, being steadfast in God’s lovingkindness.
(SLIDE 11g) Waiting = a hopeful and active preparation for Jesus’ return.
You see, Jude wants these believers to see a positive picture of what it means to hold fast to the gospel. Contending for the faith means putting the truth of the gospel on display by matching a solid understanding of doctrine with a vividly transformed and obedient life. This is how we are to defend the faith: With words and deeds that demonstrate the beauty and truthfulness and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And while we pursue living into the new reality of the gospel, verses 22-23 says that we are called to “be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire.”
We are ones who have received mercy, and now we must show mercy to those who may be struggling with the alignment of their beliefs and their actions.
Jude says, “snatch them from the fire!” In other words, with urgency we do everything we can, like a firefighter rushing into a burning building, to help people to the safety and life-giving good news of full forgiveness and the wonderful lordship of Jesus.
APPLY:
We’re going to be talking later this morning about taking the first step of faith toward the vision God is calling us to. I want to make sure we are crystal clear about what our priorities are for our ministry as we desire to make disciples in our increasingly post-Christian world.
We all are feeling the challenges and pressures of following Jesus today. Now more than ever, we need to strive with grace and truth to be centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need convictional kindness, an uncompromising trust in God and his truth, and a willing heart to grow in compassion for others and passionate evangelism to the world around us.
Here are some things God has put on my heart recently that capture what God desires of us in this new season of ministry:
Biblical truth taught, studied, and applied. And we want more people hearing the truth of God’s Word and believing the gospel.
Community of faith where we deepen relationships within our church and invite others to a vibrant and Spirit-led family of God.
Evangelism and outreach where we learn to share the gospel, strengthen ministry partnerships, and engage in missions locally and globally.
Training people to be faithful in the post-Christian world through our creative disciple-by-doing strategy. We want to cut through the confusion and shine a light in the darkness through spiritual formation and intentional discipleship training.
Generosity and investing the Kingdom of God by sowing seeds for greater fruitfulness and establishing a legacy for generations to come.
My prayer is that we would be ones who contend for the faith in an age where the idol of self has so gripped the hearts of people that our world needs to see a different way, a way of faithfulness and of vivid and life-giving obedience that displays the wonderful beauty and goodness of the gospel in real life.
Questions
What subtle (or not-so-subtle!) shifts do you see in our world that reveal how we’ve replaced God with the idol of self?
What are the core priorities of a church that contends for the faith?
Who are the people in your life who need to see convictional kindness from you?
What excites you about God’s calling for our church family in this new season of ministry?
Resources
Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience — Mark Sayers
Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of our Post-Christian Culture — Mark Sayers
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to the Sexual Revolution — Carl R. Trueman