Faith, is the way to go!
Series Jude pt 2
Thesis: Faith is built up in our lives as we learn to pray in the Holy Spirit, Keep ourselves in the love of God, learn to wait, reach out with the Gospel to the lost and by having a hatred for evil’s corruptions.
Scripture Texts:
Jude 20-25 NIV
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 20-25: The Message
But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.
And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.
Introduction:
We have been exploring the book of Jude. Jude reminds us how important - urgent it is to contend for the faith and fight against the attacks of evil on us personally, on our family, on our friends, on our local community and on our nation. Last week we learned the following from Jude:
• Contend for the Faith – Fight for it, hold on to the truth in spite of what others do!
• Stay away from Evil – Don’t play with it! It will bite you.
• Learn to recognize what sin looks like and acts like so you can stay away from it.
• Never allow sin to influence your choices in life.
Jude now progresses on in his letter exhorting the Christians to build up their faith. He then lists a series of things we can all do to build up and strengthen our faith.
But before we enter into his list on how to build our faith we need to make sure everyone here knows what faith is. I heard a story of a young Christian who was witnessing to a Buddhist and he was sharing the importance of having faith in God. He quoted the famous verse Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” After quoting this verse he started to gloat thinking, “I got him.” The Buddhist then looked at him puzzled and said, “What does that mean?” He then thought I’m not sure!
T.S. – So before I go any further in Jude I want to make sure that everyone here is clear what faith is.
1. What is Holy Faith?
a. Holman defines FAITH: Trusting commitment of one person to another, particularly of a person to God. Faith is the central concept of Christianity. One may be called a Christian only if one has faith.
i. Holman adds: Our English word “faith” comes from the Latin fides, as developed through the Old French words fei and feid. In Middle English (1150-1475) “faith” replaced a word that eventually evolved into “belief.” “Faith” came to mean “loyalty to a person to whom one is bound by promise or duty.” Faith was fidelity. “Belief” came to be distinguished from faith as an intellectual process having to do with the acceptance of a proposition. The verb form of “faith” dropped out of English usage toward the end of the sixteenth century.
ii. Faith is defined in Hebrews the following way: Hebrews 11:1 “1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
iii. Faith is absolute trust in the Lord God Almighty. Years ago in Bible College I was taught that Faith is trusting without doubt in the Lord. This trust in God is grown, strengthened, matured as we go through life and experience and understand that God is predictable in the way it assists us in our lives.
1. David had faith that God would deliver Goliath into his hands.
2. Listen to his words in the face of the opposition from Goliath:
a. Listen to his faith words:
b. David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” (1 Samuel 17:45,46)
iv. When a person is considered predictable he is called trustworthy. You then know that because they have demonstrated a certain character over time they are worthy of your trust and this same principle holds true to God.
1. God does become predictable.
v. Illustration: A Bug’s Life
1. Start time 6:30
2. Overview from Belknapp: Dot complains to Flik about her underdeveloped wings. She wants to fly now! Flik encourages her, showing her that a seed that starts out small eventually grows into a towering tree-it only takes time and patience.
3. Illustration: Faith begins small and grows larger and stronger. By trusting God with the small things and watching him answer, our faith grows stronger. We start to place increased faith in him and his goodness, giving over more and more areas of our life until it all rests in his hands. It takes small steps of faith to give us the faith to walk on water (or to fly!). (Belknapp page 46).
4. 2 Thessalonians 1: 3, 4: 3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
vi. It’s important to also understand that a Holy Faith will push us to not just believe in that which we trust in. But our faith will compel us to live and act in a way that affirms and confirms our value system. This means will live our lives in light of what we believe in and trust in.
b. James writes: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled”, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (Jam. 2:14-17).
i. Can the fact that a man holds a correct belief system “save” him from the deadly consequences of sin if he never rejects sin? No, it just shows that he does not have a belief system which he adheres to with his heart and life. This type fruitless –meaningless faith means nothing because holy genuine faith will thrust - push you to do what aligns with true Biblical faith!
T.S. - Our text gives us insight on how to build up our faith. Jude has exhorted us to contend for the faith in his letter and now he is telling us to make sure you build up-strengthen your faith as you face the opposition of evil in society. He then gives us instruction on different ways that our faith is grown and matured in life.
2. Jude tells us we will build our faith if we “Pray in the Holy Spirit.”
a. Jude instructs us that we must learn to pray by the leading of Holy Spirit.
i. When we comprehend this truth then our faith is built up as we learn to let the Holy Spirit lead our prayer life.
1. Power of Prayer Story: From Preachers Stories
a. A. T. Pierson relates the following story: "Some years ago in the great State of Minnesota, the Granary of the West, there came a scourge of grasshoppers that threatened to destroy the whole wheat crop. The Governor, who was a very devout Christian, called upon the people to observe a day of fasting humiliation and prayer for the removal of the plague. Secular papers laughed this action to scorn, and scouted the idea of an appeal to God. Spring came, the wheat appeared and the grasshopper with it, and then the secular press said, 'What is the result of your day of prayer?' But after a little while as the grasshoppers grew, there came a parasite that not merely made the grasshopper impotent to destroy the wheat, but also impotent to propagate itself. And from that day there has been no scourge of grasshoppers in the State of Minnesota."
2. There are also many examples of those who felt compelled to pray for someone in the middle of night. It amazing afterward how many of them find out later that they were interceding for another person on the other side of the country or world who were facing difficult circumstances at that exact time.
ii. James 5:1: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”
1. Praying will build your faith in times of trouble.
a. A clergyman from New York, during a call on President Lincoln at the White House said: "I have not come to ask any favors of you, Mr. President; I have only come to say that the loyal people of the North are sustaining you and will continue to do so. We are giving you all that we have, the lives of our sons as well as our confidence and our prayers. You must know that no boy's father or mother ever kneels in prayer these days without asking God to give you strength and wisdom." His eyes brimming with tears, Mr. Lincoln replied: "But for those prayers, I should have faltered and perhaps failed long ago. Tell every father and mother you know to keep on praying, and I will keep on fighting, for I know God is on our side." As the clergyman started to leave the room, Mr. Lincoln held him by the hands and said: "I suppose I may consider this as sort of a pastoral call?" "Yes," replied the clergyman. "Out in our country," replied Lincoln, "when a parson makes a pastoral call, it was always the custom for the folks to ask him to lead in prayer, and I should like to ask you to pray with me today. Pray that I may have the strength and the wisdom." The two men knelt side by side, and the clergyman offered the most fervent plea to Almighty God that ever fell from his lips. As they arose, the President clasped his visitor's hand and remarked in a satisfied sort of way: "I feel better." (Stories for Preachers)
2. Praying through the tough times will strengthen your faith walk.
3. Praying in tough times and praying for those going through tough times will help strengthen your faith. Your faith will be strengthened as you see God answering your prayers.
iii. James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
1. Pray is the secret weapon in defeating the enemy and winning spiritual battles in our lives.
iv. Jude makes it clear in his letter that we are to pray in the Holy Spirit. In other words we are to let the Holy Spirit guide our prayer life.
1. I believe in America today that the majority of prayers are self-centered forms of praying.
2. Just think about your prayer life for a moment and decide for yourself if you have a self-centered prayer life?
a. Are the majority of your prayers focused on you?
i. Now I know we need to ask God for things in our life but is my whole prayer life centered a round what I want, or desire?
b. Is my prayer time focused on others?
i. Do you regularly pray for others?
ii. Does the Lord lay others on your heart and then are you faithful to pray for them?
c. Is your prayer time focused on spiritual issues?
i. Does your pray time focus on spiritual issues?
1. For example: Praying against evils influence in our society?
2. Praying that the Lord will give you spiritual discernment?
3. Praying that you will die to yourself?
4. Praying that you will grow spiritually?
5. Praying that you will be obedient to God’s call on your life.
d. In your everyday life do you incorporate prayer into it?
i. Do you let the Holy Spirit speak to you throughout the day and then pray what he lays on your heart.
1. A while back at New Life in Amery I was in the gym and I had the Holy Spirit tell me to pray for the worker in the gym that day.
a. He later got baptized at New Life!
i. You never know!
e. Do you pray and ask the Holy Spirit for insight and wisdom before you make a major purchase?
i. Share about the SUV.
f. Do you pray and ask for insight when you make big decisions?
g. Is your pray life focused on your financial prosperity?
i. Many pray to win the lottery?
ii. Many pray for finances because they have over spent and are living outside their means.
iii. Do you pray for finances because you do not work?
iv. Do you pray that God will give you a raise so you can buy a bigger and better house?
v. Do you pray that God will prosper you so you can give 15% of your income to the work of the Lord?
1. I know some of you are thinking, “God says we only have to give 10%!”
2. May I suggest you pray about what God wants for your life!
h. Are your prayers focused on God’s work?
i. Do you pray for God to use you to serve others?
ii. Do you pray that the Lord will help you use your spiritual gifts?
iii. Do you pray for God to change people’s hearts and to use you to be one of his instruments of change? Listen to some of these prayers by men and women of God to be used by God. (From Stories for preachers):
1. George Whitefield, the famous English evangelist, said, "O Lord, give me souls, or take my soul!"
2. Henry Martin, a missionary, cried as he knelt on India's coral strands, "Here let me burn out for God."
3. David Brainerd, missionary to the North American Indians in the early 18th century, prayed, "Lord, to Thee I dedicate myself, oh accept of me, and let me be Thine forever. Lord, I desire nothing else, I desire nothing more." The last words in his diary written several days before he died were, "Oh come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen."
4. Thomas à Kempis, 1379-1471, said, "Give what Thou wilt, and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Set me where Thou wilt and deal with me in all things as Thou wilt."
5. Dwight L. Moody implored, "Use me then, my Savior, for whatever purpose and in whatever way Thou mayest require. Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel, fill it with Thy grace."
6. Martin Luther prayed thus on the night preceding his appearance before the Diet of Worms: "Do Thou, my God, stand by me against all the world's wisdom and reason. Oh, do it, Thou must do it. Stand by me, Thou true, eternal God!"
7. "Praying Hyde," a missionary in India, pleaded, "Father, give me these souls, or I die."
8. Mrs. Comstock, a missionary in India, uttered this prayer of parting when she sent her children home: "Lord Jesus, I do this for Thee."
9. How do you pray ?
iv. Do you pray for different ministries here at New Life and specific leadership?
v. Do you pray for other ministries besides New Life?
i. Is your prayer life focused on you in your prayers or are you allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your prayer life?
b. How do you react to the different answers to your prayers or to the word wait?
i. Having to wait for someone or something is difficult. Isn’t it?
1. What we want, we want now. Our fast food society must be just that--fast. Instant- we get flushed if we have to wait in the drive thru window to long!
a. We like instant pudding, instant rice, and instant results are part of our way of life.
b. I have heard of individuals who prayed for patience and told the Lord that they wanted it "Right away!"
2. We are plagued with the Hurry up sickness and want God to feed this unbiblical concept and meet our self-centered demands.
3. However, we know so agonizingly well that the Lord does not work on our time table. Having to wait upon the Lord (Ps. 27:14; 37:34) can be painful at times! The principle of the Lord working as He wills requires faith. He is never late! His promises are sure.
a. May we learn the lesson that to have faith means we have the patience to wait!
b. The Lord will work out His plan, His way and do it in His time.
ii. Holman also challenges us that our prayers will not always be answered the way we want and we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in regards to our prayers.
1. Jesus, with His soul sorrowful to the point of death, prayed three times that His cup of suffering might pass, but He was nevertheless submissive to God’s will (Matt. 26:38-39, 42, 45). Both the boldness of the petition to alter God’s will and the submission to this “hard” path of suffering are significant (Holman).
2. Paul asked three times for deliverance from his “thorn in the flesh.” God’s answer to Paul directed him to find comfort in God’s sufficient grace. Also God declared that His power is best seen in Paul’s weakness (2 Cor. 12:8-9). God gave him the problem to hinder his pride. Ironically, Paul claimed that God gave the problem, and yet he called it a messenger of Satan. Paul learned that petitions are sometimes denied in light of an eventual greater good: God’s power displayed in Paul’s humility (Holman).
3. Faith is a condition for answered petitions (Mark 11:24). Two extremes must be avoided concerning faith. (1) With Jesus’ example in mind we must not think that faith will always cause our wishes to be granted. (2) Also we must not go through the motions of prayer without faith. Believers do not receive what they pray for because they pray from selfish motives (Jas. 4:2-3). Prayers are also hindered by corrupted character (Jas. 4:7) or injured relationships (Matt. 5:23-24) (Holman).
c. Paul talks about praying in tongues several times in the NT. Many say this is another dimension of praying in the Holy Spirit.
i. Speaking in Tongues is considered by some as the primary evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
ii. Many will tell you in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles that tongues is a spiritual prayer language which is to be used in our personal prayer time for empowerment in the spiritual things of life.
1. DL Moody – Moody believed that the Holy Spirit established a permanent relationship with the believer at the moment of regeneration. Nevertheless, he believed that something more was needed for effective Christian work. That something more” was the “Holy Spirit upon us for service.” He had such an experience himself in 1871, and on those rare occasions when he referred to it, he spoke of it as a filling, a baptism, an anointing, an empowerment for service. However, Moody disavowed that such experience led to entire sanctification, eradication of the sin nature, or perfection. Christian History – Gundry page 25
a. He said he received an endowment of power right after the Great Chicago fire destroyed his home and church. He tells the story of two older ladies praying for him with utterances he did not understand and he felt the Holy Spirit empower him for service through this experience.
2. John Wesley’s had a similar experience on a ship at sea that was in the midst of a severe storm. He said he was afraid and on board the ship not knowing what to do. While he was on deck he observed the Moravians praying in tongues and he said it comforted him and impacted his life. They then prayed for him to be filled with God’s anointing and power and he called this experience the “second blessing.”
a. Why should I desire to pray in tongues: Romans tells us that at times we do not know what to pray for so the Holy Spirit encourages us to pray in the Spirit for certain situations.
i. In a sense we pray in a Heavenly language – a language we do not understand but do it in obedience to the leading of the Lord and it wages war in the Heavens against Principalities and powers.
3. Charles Finney is considered the Father of American Revivalism 1792-1875 spoke much about the necessity of praying in the Holy Spirit. (Christian History Vol. VII)
a. During this winter, the Lord gave my own soul a very thorough overhauling, and a fresh baptism of his Spirit. I boarded at the Marlborough hotel, and my study and bedroom were at one corner of the chapel building. My mind was greatly drawn out in prayer, for a long time; as indeed it always has been, when I have labored in Boston. I have been favored there, uniformly, with a great deal of the spirit of prayer. But this winter, in particular, my mind was exceedingly exercised on the question of personal holiness; and in respect to the state of the church, their want of the power of God …. I gave myself to a great deal of prayer. After my evening services, I would retire as early as I could; but rose at four o’clock in the morning, because I could sleep no longer, and immediately went to the study, and engaged in prayer. And so deeply was my mind exercised, and so absorbed in prayer, that I frequently continued from the time I arose at four o’clock, till the gong called for breakfast, at eight o’clock. My days were spent, so long as I could get time, in searching the Scriptures. I read nothing else, all that winter, but my Bible; and a great deal of it seemed new to me … the whole Scriptures seemed to me all ablaze with light…. (Christian History).
iii. Paul tells us in Romans 8:22-27: 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
1. Truth is praying in the Spirit is beneficial when we do not know what to pray for.
iv. I Cor. 14:6 -19: 6Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.13For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
v. I Cor. 14:39: 39Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
T.S. – Jude tells us that our faith will grow and mature as we pray in the Holy Spirit. He then adds that our faith will be grown and built as we keep ourselves engulfed in the love of God.
3. Jude tells us we will build up our faith if we “Keep ourselves in the love of God.”
a. Key here is to keep in close contact with God.
i. Remember God is love were God is His love is.
1. We need to stay saturated in God because as we do we stay saturated in His love.
2. When you stay under the umbrella of God’s love it builds up your faith in him. The same is true in any love relationship the longer you are attached to a person and stay connected in love the more your trust is placed in that person.
a. Trust comes from predictability and a relationship with someone else.
b. 2 Timothy 3:4 The problem in our society today is people have become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
i. When this happens there is a crisis of faith and people no longer believe and place their trust in God for purpose instead they place their faith and trust in pleasure as the meaning of life.
ii. 2 Timothy 3:1-5: Godlessness in the Last Days
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self–control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
c. I John 5:1-5: 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Conclusion:
Jude has taught us to make sure we are building up our Holy faith and one way of doing that is by praying in the Holy Spirit. The other way is by being engulfed in God’s love and presence.
