"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, 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. 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 only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 1-4

Jude was desirous of writing about the wonders of salvation in Christ, but felt compelled to address the teachers who had secretly introduced ungodly instruction among the people of God. 

Biblical authority:

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”  Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article 1, The Scripture 

“... We confess that both our finitude and our sinfulness preclude the possibility of knowing God’s truth exhaustively, but we affirm that, enlightened by the Spirit of God, we can know God’s revealed truth truly. The Bible is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises. As God’s people hear, believe, and do the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel.”  The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement, Article 2, Revelation

“All Scripture is ____________ ____________ by God and ____________ for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be ____________, ____________ for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“...There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable ____________ to their own ____________, as they do the other Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3:16b

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the ____________ and ____________ of the heart.” Hebrews 14:12 

ANSWER KEY: breathed out, profitable, complete, equipped, twist, destruction, thoughts, intentions 

“What I’ve been trying to do is to present just as plainly as I can the system of truth revealed in the Bible. And when I say system of truth, I mean what I say. I mean that the Bible is not just a storehouse of inspiring sayings thrown out in some haphazard or isolated fashion, but that it presents one great system...I am indeed trying to take you always to the foundation of truth, the Bible itself. But in my study of the Bible with you, I have been dependent throughout upon what the collective wisdom of the church of all ages has been able to do with the gracious indwelling of the Holy Spirit toward understanding the truth that the Bible contains.” J. Gresham Machen

In Contending Earnestly for the Faith:

1. This letter addresses error that has been destructive and secretly introduced among the people of God (and the confronting of this false teaching probably involves people who are known and loved).
2. We often push against the majority report in our culture and teachings that are often appealing and attractive.
3. We understand this involves standing for objective truth in this culture that has embraced the “new normal” or “this is my truth”.

How to Stand with Dignity, Grace and Courage for the Faith that has Once for All Been Deliberative to God’s People:

1. Think well (a mind that is continuously formed by the authority of Scripture through the empowering presence and illuminating mercy of the Holy Spirit).
2. Worship well (individually and corporately).
3. Live in Community. 

QUESTIONS:

1. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” How does this verse speak to the motorist who says, “The sun must set in the North in this part of the country.” 
2. What was the premise of the 1932 report of “Rethinking Missions”? How does Jude 3b speak to that situation and other similar occurrences?
3. Why is it easier to speak the truth of Scripture if it involves a faceless or unknown group?
4. Why is courage always necessary in standing for the truth?
5. Considering the two spiritual disciplines mentioned this morning (receiving encouragement from the Scripture before consuming media and being among God’s people on the Lord’s Day), how do you make application?