Contend For The Faith

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Contend For The Faith

• Jude 1-7

2

• 1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother
  of James,
• to them that are sanctified by God the
  Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and
  called
• He wanted for them
• 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be
  multiplied.

3

• Beloved,(those who were Sanctified,
• Preserved and Called)
• when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
  the common salvation, it was needful for me to
  write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
  earnestly contend for the faith
• which was once (for all NKJV) delivered unto
  the saints.

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• 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares,
  (unnoticed) who were before of old ordained to
  this condemnation, ungodly men,
• a. turning the grace of our God into
  lasciviousness,
• b. and denying the only Lord God, and our
  Lord Jesus Christ.
• 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance,
  though ye once knew this,

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• EXAMPLE 1) how that the Lord, having saved the
  people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
  destroyed them that believed not

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• 6 And (Example 2 )the angels which kept not
  their first estate, but left their own
  habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting
  chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
  great day.

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• 7 Even as (Example 3 ) Sodom and Gomorrha, and
  the cities about them
• a.Admah
• b.Zeboiim (Deut. 2923)
• ( Both cities located near to Sodom and
• Gomorrah )
• in like manner, giving themselves over to
  fornication, and going after strange flesh, are
  set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance
  of eternal fire.

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Deut. 2923

• (When the Covenant was renewed in Moab..Moses
  spoke to the people..of what would happen to them
  if they turned from
• God , )
• 23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone,
  and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor
  beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the
  overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and
  Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger,
  and in his wrath

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Contend For THE FAITH

• Contend - Fight for the Faith
• From the Believers Study Bible
• contend earnestly is related to the English
  word agony. The term is associated with strife
  and combat of a most vigorous and determined
  variety..
• We are at war.The Faith is being attacked. We
  must attack with vigor,even to the point of
  agony, for the faith once delievered unto the
  saints.
• Be vigilent- Be watchful. Mtt.2641

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• i. "The faith" doesn't mean our own personal
  belief, or faith in the sense of our trust in
  God.
• The phrase the faith means "The essential
  truths of the gospel that all true Christians
  hold in common." The faith
• is used this way in a number of N.T. scriptures

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Acts 67

• And the word of God increased and the number of
  the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly
  and a great company of the priests were obedient
  to the faith.

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Acts 138

• But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by
  interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn
  away the deputy from the faith.

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Acts 1422

• 22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and
  exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that
  we must through much tribulation enter into the
  kingdom of God.

14
Acts 165

• 5 And so were the churches established in the
  faith, and increased in number daily.

15
Acts 2424

• 24 And after certain days, when Felix came with
  his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent
  for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in
  Christ.

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Romans 15

• By whom we have received grace and apostleship,
  for obedience to the faith among all nations, for
  his name

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Col. 27

• 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in
  the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding
  therein with thanksgiving.

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"The essential truths of the gospel that all true
Christians hold in common."

• We must contend earnestly for the truth.
• "The faith is the body of truth

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I Tim. 12

• As Paul wrote to Timothy
• Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith Grace,
  mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus
  Christ our Lord.

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Acts 242

• Acts 2
• 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles'
  doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
  bread, and in prayers.

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Rom. 617

• 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants
  of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
  form of doctrine which was delivered you.

22
Gal. 123

• 23 But they had heard only, That he which
  persecuted us in times past now preacheth the
  faith which once he destroyed.

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• "Once for All" (Once for all for all time!)
• Yet, men have crept in and left the
• Doctrine of Christ, THE FAITH..and today we
• Have
• Mohammed offered his Koran.
• Joseph Smith his Book of Mormon.
• Sun Moon his Divine Principle.
• People today who come up with new
• Revelations, new translations, new versions
• And THE FAITH Is neglected, replaced, or
• Completely forgotten!.

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Rom. 18,9

• "There is no other gospel, there will be none.
• 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
  any other gospel unto you than that which we have
  preached unto you, let him be accursed.
• 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any
  man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye
  have received, let him be accursed.

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• . Jude taught that the faith has been once for
  all delivered to the saints. God's revelation
  concerning the doctrinal content of our faith is
  finished.
• The church is built on the foundation of the
  apostles and prophets (Ephesians 220).
• Anyone who comes along and claims to have a
  new word from God to add to the faith once for
  all delivered to the saints is against Scripture.

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People Today

• Most people want to believe in the faith
  they make up as they go along and decide is right
  for them.
• More people believe in "the faith that is
  in their heart" than the faith once for all
  delivered to the saints

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Truths Worth Dying For

• Men who left the Catholic church because they
  did not believe in transubstantiation..
• that the bread turns into the actual body
• of Jesus in communion!

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• From 1555 to 1558 Queen Mary, the Catholic ruler
  in England, had 288 Protestant reformers burned
  at the stakemen like John Rogers, John Hooper,
  Rowland Taylor, Robert Ferrar, John Bradford,
  Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, and Thomas Cranmer.

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And why were they burned?

• they did not believe in transubstantiation..
  (that the bread turns into the actual body of
  Jesus in communion!)

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Why should Christians Contend for the faith?

• Just as in the days of Jude,
• men creep in and teach false
• doctrine!.

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Illustration

• If we are saved by grace, then it doesn't matter
  what we do morally.
• In fact when a Christian sins, it only serves
  to magnify the grace of God. So they turned the
  grace of God against the commandments of Christ
  and in effect denied the lordship of Jesus.
  Turned the grace of God into permission to live
  Licentious lives. !! The more you sin,
• The more grace!...Rom. 61,2 May it never be!

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• These certain men had received something of the
  grace of God. But when they received it, they
  turned it into an excuse for their lewdness

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Turning the grace of God into lewdness!..

• Someone has said
• The idea behind the ancient word lewdness is
  sin that is practiced without shame, without any
  sense of conscience or decency.
• Usually the word is used in the sense of
  sensual sins, such as sexual immorality. But it
  can also be used in the sense of brazen
  anti-biblical teaching, when the truth is denied
  and lies are taught without shame.

34
Someone is quoted as saying

• These words of Jude show that there is a
  danger in preaching grace.
• There are some who may take the truth of God's
  grace and turn the grace of our God into
  lewdness. But this doesn't mean there is anything
  wrong or dangerous about the message of God's
  grace. It simply shows how corrupt the human
  heart is.

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• And deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus
  Christ These certain men deny the Lord Jesus
  Christ. They do this by refusing to recognize who
  Jesus said He was, and therefore they also deny
  who God the Father is also.

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• Three examples that show the certainty of God's
  judgment against the certain men.

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1 verse 5 The example of the people of Israel.

• But I want to remind you, though you once knew
  this, that the Lord, having saved the people out
  of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those
  who did not believe.
• ..

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• The Lord, having saved the people out of the land
  of Egypt
• Jude reminds us of what happened in Numbers 14.
  
• God delivered the people of Israel out of
  slavery in Egypt. They went out of Egypt and
  without unintended delays came to a place called
  Kadesh Barnea, on the threshold of the Promised
  Land. But at Kadesh Barnea, the people refused to
  trust God and go into the Promised Land of
  Canaan. Only Joshua and Caleb of men over 20,
  were able to
• Go into the land of promise!..The others died in
• The wilderness.

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• Those who doubted and rejected God at
  Kadesh Barnea paid a bigger price than just not
  entering the Promised Land.
• They also received the judgment of God.
  Psalm 95 describes how the Lord reacted to them
• For forty years I was grieved with that
  generation, and said, "It is a people who go
  astray in their hearts, and they do not know My
  ways. So I swore in My wrath, they shall not
  enter My rest" (Psalm 9510-11).

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2. Jude (6) The example of the angels who sinned.

• Angels who did not keep their proper domainThese
  angels at one time stood in the immediate,
  glorious presence of God - and now they are in
  everlasting chains. If God judged the angels who
  sinned,how much
• More us!

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Isa. 1412-14

• Isaiah 1412-14
• 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
  son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
  ground, which didst weaken the nations!
• 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will
  ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
  the stars of God I will sit also upon the mount
  of the congregation, in the sides of the north
• 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
  I will be like the most High.

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3. (7) The example of Sodom and Gomorrah.

• As Sodom and Gomorrah These two cities (and
  the cities around them) also stand as examples of
  God's judgment. Their sin - which was most
  conspicuously homosexuality, but included other
  sins as well - brought forth God's judgment

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• Sodom and Gomorrah were blessed, privileged
  places. They were situated in a blessed area it
  was well watered everywhere . . . like the garden
  of the LORD (Genesis 1310).

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• Having given themselves over to sexual
  immorality and gone after strange flesh Jude
  refers to the account in Genesis 19, where the
  homosexual conduct of the men of Sodom is
  described.
• Ezekiel 1649 tells us of other sins of Sodom
  Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom
  She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food,
  and abundance of idleness neither did she
  strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Sexual
  depravity was not their only sin, but it was
  certainly among their sins, and Jude makes this
  plain.

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• The sins described in Ezekiel 1649 show that
  Sodom and Gomorrah were indeed prosperous,
  blessed areas. You don't have fullness of food,
  and abundance of idleness if you don't have
  material blessings. But despite their great
  blessing from God and material prosperity, they
  sinned and were judged.

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• Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire In
  Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed
  with fire from heaven.
• But that wasn't the end of their judgment by
  fire.
• Far worse than what happened in Genesis 19,
  they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire

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We must Contend for the Faith!!
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• The way you contend is as important as the
  content of your arguments.
• You can win with your logic and lose with
  your life.

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• There is a faith once for all delivered to the
  saints.
• This faith is worth contending for.
• The faith is repeatedly threatened from within
  the church by professing Christians.And without
  by those against the Lord.
• It is the duty of every believer to contend for
  the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

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The Need

• Some will deny the all-sufficiency of the
• Scriptures.
• Remember One time for all time!
• Revelation was not to be repeated, nor was there
  more to be revealed later on!

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• 1. To the Elders of the church at Ephesus.I
  have not shunned to declare the wholeCounsel of
  God. Acts 2027
• 2. Peter. 2 Pet. 13 all things that pertain
  unto life and godliness
• If we have all the counsel of God and All
  things that pertain unto life and godliness, what
  else is there?

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• Contend for the Scriptures
• Gods Word contains the faith once for all
  delivered. It will teach us what God wants and
  how we can be acceptable unto Him.!
• When people want to add to, or take away,
• Or mix truth with error, WE MUST CONTEND FOR THE
  FAITH!

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Today Some today have reasoned just like Jude
said

• The more you sin, the greater the grace of God
  is to you.
• You may hear them say God is too loving,
  His grace is too wonderful, to condemn us when we
  are so sincere.
• Yet, those of us who know the Bible what it
  teaches about the grace of God

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Titus 211-12

• 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
  hath appeared to all men,
• 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
  worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
  righteously, and godly, in this present world

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• 1. Denying ungodliness
• 2. Denying worldly lusts
• 3. Living soberly
• 4. Living righteously
• 5. Living godly in this present age!!
• And Gods word has not changed concerning all
  those things!!

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Today

• We often face people who deny the authority of
  God and Jesus.
• a)They dont respect Gods word!..Do many things
  contrary to the pattern.
• B)They set up other standards of authority for
  what they believe or do.
• .A synod,
• B.Convention
• C.Council
• D.PopeBishopMinister or themselves.

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Those who belong to Godand respect His Authority

• Matt. 2818-20
• Eph. 122-23
• Col. 118

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What does God give us to contend with? Eph.
613-18

• 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of
  God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
  day, and having done all, to stand.
• 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
  with truth, and having on the breastplate of
  righteousness
• 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the
  gospel of peace

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• 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith,
  wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
  fiery darts of the wicked.
• 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the
  sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
• 18 Praying always with all prayer and
  supplication in the Spirit, and watching
  thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
  for all saints

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How?

• Eph. 613-18
• 1. Girded with truth
• 2. Breastplate of righteousness
• 3. Feet shod with the gospel of peace
• 4. The shield of faith
• 5. The helmet of salvation
• 6. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
• 7. Watching with all prayer

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The call to contend for the faith

• Is not a license to engage in contentions and
  outbursts of wrath.
• Gal. 519-21
• I Cor. 31-3
• Use the weapons of our warfare
• 1. The Word of God..applied FIRST TO
• OURSELVES and then to others.
• 2. With the Christ-like qualities that will win
  people over to the obedience to Christ.

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What side are you on?

• The battle is ragingwhere do you stand?
• Have you submitted yourself to God and His Son
  and made them both Lord and Christ!.
• Have you obeyed the authority from Heaven?

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Let us all CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH