June 27, 2019 - - Jude 17-23 -- Building up holy faith
/17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Jude 17-23 ESV
These words are not the ones I’d expect. Think about it. The end times are discernable by such things as these: there will be scoffers and lustful people pursuing their sins and Christians are not first of all to refute them but in view of the times we are to draw closer to Jesus Christ!
When you are confronted with the evil of our days you are to continuously build yourself up in your holy faith! Run to Jesus! Do you think you have in yourself the strength to stand against the devil and the hosts of hell, the world and its divisive people? No way! In fact, our own hearts are inclined to evil as well. We need to fall on Jesus and like a trusting child hold His hand in faith. Our holy faith, our confident trust in Jesus, is the only way in which we can see through the evil of our times and know God more nearly and more dearly as our faithful Father and glorious protector.
Building ourselves up in our holy faith means we are praying in the Spirit. What does this mean? It means knowing the Bible, knowing the promises of God as they are spelled out for us in the Bible, we pray these back to God. We recite what He has promised so that we will not be caught and entangled in the webs of this world’s evil, but by the Spirit have the faith-given ability to see God and chart our path to Him. For example as you read promise-filled passages such as these, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed (blessed and honoured) be Your Name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:11,27-28
As you read the Bible, learn the promises of God—His majestic power to save, His willingness to save His people, His faithful love for a people such as we are who waver and stumble—note these, pray these, hold these precious truths up before your soul.
Keep yourself in the love of God. Spend time with Christians. Let Christians—who, in the strength of the Spirit know Jesus as their Saviour and trust the Father in heaven as their Father—be your closest friends and advisers. Guard your eyes and your mind from evil—recognize video games, movies and TV shows, talk shows, Facebook and social media as distributers of the world’s porn for the mind seeking to pollute the soul. Instead, dear Christian—go to God. Listen to godly music. Sing hymns and spiritual songs. Listen to sermons. Read Christian biographies.
Wait for the mercy of the LORD—Jesus is returning. The trumpet blast declaring His return on the clouds of heaven will soon sound! Know that Jesus will take His own to the Father and the ungodly, the wicked, the ones who delight in evil will be cast into the terrors of hell. Wait for the mercy of the LORD with great anticipation and joyful singing.
And, from this place of strength, steeped in the promised of God, sustained by the Spirit and the Word, looking to Jesus’ impending return, save those who are aware they are being burned by the fires of evil in this world. There are people who are awakened by the Spirit of God so that they see the condition of their soul and understand the wickedness of our sin—to such—pluck them from the fires of evil. Disciple them. Show them the way of salvation in Jesus. Do not trust your own strength in this! Know that your own heart harbors wickedness that is readily awakened by keeping company with the wicked—even a wicked person who desires to find Jesus. Therefore, hate sin! Know your own inclination to evil and sin. Pray without ceasing as you reach out to others who are becoming aware of the destructive burning of sin upon their life and mind, flesh and soul and all the while hold onto Jesus with childlike faith.
I don’t know if you have ever held a new-born baby. I don’t know if you have ever held in your hands the wonder of new life—perhaps a puppy, or a kitten. New life fills us with wonder and joy. It is the creative act of God that makes our soul sing. When a sin-blackened soul is awakened to the power of Jesus Christ is born from above—made clean by the blood of the Lamb of God—that is new life like no other. In the presence of one newly born from above our soul sings in wonder at the blessedness of God and His never-ending faithfulness!
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith! You will be at odds with the things of and the ways of the world, but your heart and mind, soul and life will be filled with wonder—gobsmacked awe at the greatness of God.
Great God of Wonder and new, resurrection life—keep us from being enthralled by the things of this world. The work of salvation which You have begun in us by Christ, see to completion by Your Word and Spirit. Forgive us for our pyromaniac tendencies, toying with sin and being willingly hypnotized by its wanton destruction. Forgive us for thinking we can contain our sins to a limited part of our lives. Put out the fires of sin and remove the brush and bramble that would sustain unholy fires within us. Let us joyfully build ourselves up in our most holy faith day after day so that the blessedness of eternal life wells up within us and overflows to every part of our lives for the glory and honour, praise and blessing of Your Name. Amen.
