JUDE  v 1-4

although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our Beloved only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ

This Letter was written by Jude, the brother of James and half-brother of Jesus.   He intended to write to all the Churches to discuss the teaching on salvation.  He called those who had been called, those who God had been touched and loved by God, and were kept by Jesus Christ. God takes the initiative of calling us to him, and Jude says we are loved by God, who wants us not to be encouraged, not to be mislead by false teachers. Jude considered the command not to  listen to false teachers. He considered to be so important.

I want to turn with you to the most important verse 3 of the Letter, and is also important to us as Christians.  I urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

This was of course referring to the words of Jesus to his Apostles, to go out into all the world making disciples of all nations and teaching all he had commanded.  The Apostles obeyed Jesus, and the gospel spread around the ancient world. This was accomplished without the press and all our modern technology.

This calls for all Christians wherever you live, to contend for the faith. To contend means you fight, and challenge all opposition. Our commitment to the gospel must be as vigorous as our opponents are to theirs.  Jesus never held back against those against him, and neither must we. Today our world is a battlefield for Christians, not  a playing field  

 So what are we to contend for? Well, we are to contend for the faith. That is the gospel, the body of truths that make up the exclusive Christian gospel ;  It is that God sent his own Son to teach us his Word, and ultimately give his life on the Cross, by the most cruel and horrific way, so that we can be forgiven for all our sins. This means we are made righteous in God’s sight, and by his grace we receive free salvation, when we accept that Jesus made that sacrifice for each one of us, and is our Lord and Saviour. We teach that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to be accepted by God.

And that faith, says Jude, has been entrusted to the saints once for all. Now notice that little word once. It’s easy to miss but it is extremely important. And here the passing of the gospel to the saints is, the gospel truth is, a once for all act. It is a finished work. The defending isn’t finished, and the entrusting is passed on to us. In other words, there is nothing more to be added, the Bible is not like an iphone, no updates needed. That gospel truth that was passed on by the apostles, is set. We cannot change it or take anything away or add anything. Anyone who tries to alter that gospel truth, is a false teacher, and the Bible states will  not receive eternal life. Jude indicates that God will not ignore false teaching, and later in the Letter points out the judgement God passes on such people.  We prioritize the truth, and proclaim the true Jesus Christ and was delivered through the Apostles.

The saints is used in the biblical understanding, that a saint is a person who embraces the teaching of Jesus Christ.  This is how we should accept, rather than that of the Roman Catholic practice in calling people ‘Saints’ because of service to the Church. This verse tells us our faith is not which someone has made up, but rather comes from God.  

Let us now consider the implications for us.  It must be our duty and responsibility, to guard that gospel in a very hostile world.

I cannot think of any words more necessary to deliver to Christians,  than this calling from Jude. The enemies we face are well armed, having the backing of powerful companies from Silicon Valley, California; the immensely popular social media, which poisons many intolerant minds; and a press which restricts mentioning the Church, except when a member of the clergy does something foolish. Sadly this occurs too often, and brings shame and disgrace upon the whole Church.

Many people have lost employments and college places because, someone found a statement they made sometime previously, which didn’t fit in with modern woke culture, and was relayed to their current employer who did not have the courage to ignore.

There is a worldwide attack on the Christian Church, which needs to be urgently confronted.  Authorities and Governments are imposing restrictions in almost every nation, and we have the added burden in that thousands of people, who have been prohibited from attending Churches because of the deadly virus circulating the world, may not return.

The church of Jesus Christ is under severe attack in a manner not previously seen, due to modern technology. Forces are striking from the outside, seeking to undermine our existence, but more insidious , as we in recent times have shamefully watched, men/women holding high Office in the Church are betraying God’s Word.  How prophetic it was of Jude.     The world sees the Church standing for values it should have condemned.

 These are dark days for the Church. We live in a society which largely rejects God, and regards Church and Christianity as totally irrelevant to their lives.  The message of the world is that morality, which was once based on Christian principles, is now what you make it as long as you are sincere.  All the boundaries have been swept away, and the spiritual moorings have been eroded.  Every so often someone pops up calling for a back to basics campaign, but no one knows what the basics are. 

I wonder how many Christians appreciate how much the Christian Church and faith are in fact under sustained attack from so many sources. Apart from activists in humanistic and sexual causes, we have governments activating and encouraging activities which exceed moral boundaries and oppose all Christian teaching.

In the United Kingdom the government are encouraging and even supplying the means for women to receive home abortion pills, which has caused some women to die.  A total of 223 thousand  abortions were performed, according to the last records issued in 2019, so we can expect even more for 2020. In America, abortions are in the millions. Most reasonable people would sympathise when a woman’s health was at risk, when a deformed baby would be born, or if the woman had been assaulted, but in most of the cases, it was just another form of contraception.

In Scotland, a ‘hate crime’ bill was discussed, which indicates how Scotland has drifted under the present leadership. It was being proposed to prevent by law, all speech or writing criticising sexual behaviour, and even extending into private homes.  One group wanted all sermons to be examined  before being delivered.  The First Minister closed all Churches during the pandemic, an act which was legally challenged by Ministers of the Church in the Supreme Court, which ordered the ban to be withdrawn.   

If we look around the world, the once most Christian committed country, under the new President is not so much the land of the free, as it is called, and is adopting the (im)moral  proposals of a previous Administration.  Who could imagine a newly elected President, making his first Executive Order, stating boys or men who self-declare themselves to be feminine, must be allowed in female facilities and take part in female sports. Who in a televised broadcast, told parents not to be upset if their children wanted to gender  change; adding ‘your President is with you’. It is beyond most people’s intelligence to comprehend. (and some have the effrontery to complain about President Trump, who promoted true American values, overruling  his predecessor’s progressive woke laws and supported the right of Christians to freely express their beliefs.

But across the world, in countries from China, Russia North Korea, Malaysia, Egypt and Muslim lands, Christians are put  in peril. In Victoria, Australia they are trying to prevent any biblical ethical teaching on sex, or gender change.  Europe has long given up on Christianity, especially since the European Union was created.

However, even more insidious is the fact our Church leaders don’t always offer support. They will write letters to the press on social and political issues, especially against Brexit, but there is rarely, if ever in relation to moral matters.  One bishop has just bemoaned the cancellation of a city’s gay pride march, which he thought was so sad.

The Church of England produced a promotional video  called Living in Love and Faith, which is highly controversial, giving guidance for the Church to move forward on sexual matters and marriage (I thought the Bible had done that). 

There was a call for mutual understanding, with the intention to learn and listen on LGBT issues..  This  was uploaded  on to ‘you tube’ where a representative from Christian Concern did in fact defend the Bible’s teaching on sexual ethics.  The programme was a lost cause when a transgender Minister from the United Reform Church, in response complained of hate speech, and reported the Christian speaker to the Police  for a hate crime.  Not much mutual understanding there .

Why the Church of England should have produced such a video is beyond understanding.  We are supposed to defend the Scriptures, nothing else. How people live is a matter for them to decide, and they will answer one day, as we all will, but this indicates how the Church is failing to defend and promote the Bible , which all we clergy promise and vow to do when ordained. We vow to banish ALL false doctrine

Billy Graham in so many meetings used as his theme, ‘sin’. That is now a word to be frowned upon, even the Church does not fully believe in sin. People think sin relates exclusively to sexual acts, but it also relates to malice, greed, envy, jealousy, lies, and crime. A reading of the newspapers show how much evil there is in the world. In the UK teenagers are shooting each other and stabbing, and one boy of only fourteen years was killed in major city of Birmingham.

It is more than coincidence that things have got so bad since religion has been pushed into the background, when schools do not have assemblies, as is required but not pursued, under law unless it is a private school. However, as in a previous sermon, I told of a headmaster in a private school with an alleged Christian ethos, reported the Chaplain to the Police Terrorist Unit because the Chaplin had stated people can express a different opinion on homosexuality, provided stated respectfully. He was fired by the school, and his bishop suspended him from the Church because he told a safeguarding worker he wouldn’t change his firm Christian beliefs.( which were commanded by our Lord)

In conclusion, in consideration of the facts stated above, none of which have been exaggerated, you may, and will, if truly a committed Christian, see the need to heed the words of Jude and contend for the faith, The Church has been sloth (also a sin) in not speaking out aggressively and forcefully, as some of the ethnic Churches have, notably the black Evangelical Churches.

My wife was disabled for a long time, and had Carers to help her, most of which have been black ladies, and each of those ladies has been in possession of a Bible, and not carried as an accessory. I asked one lady, who has been a great inspiration to me personally, why she thought this was so different to white ladies. She told me that black people did not always get appreciated by people, but always have been by God. What a regrettable, but factual, condemnation

Every person and organisation has the right of free speech, but that includes the Church. Any one group have no right to claim  exception to another opinion, as some activists protest strongly when people do not only support, but expect approval.

Remember the words of Paul, don’t be ashamed of your faith, do not have a spirit of timidity, and remember the words of Jesus, ‘I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME’.  And the words of Peter. ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we may be saved.’     Let us boldly proclaim this boldly, and may God be with you and bless you.