Peter Barnes | Jude 1-4
SERMON NOTES
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
(Jude 1-4)
– Jude is almost certainly a half-brother of Jesus (Matt.13:54-56) who was not a believer until after the resurrection (Mark 3:21, 31; John 7:5)
1. A Christian is called, loved, and kept.
– vv.1-2
– called (Rom.8:29-30); loved (Jer.31:3; the NKJV has ‘sanctified’ but it is probably ‘beloved’); and kept (we also keep ourselves in verse 21, but Christ keeps His own – see 1 Pet.1:3-5; John 10:28)
2. We are to feed on the gospel, not polemics.
– v.3 for what Jude wanted to write about; there are plenty of polemics in the Bible (e.g. Isa.44) but we cannot live by polemics alone
3. We are to contend earnestly for the apostolic faith.
– vv.3-4; see 1 Tim.6:20; 2 Tim.1:13-14
– false teachers come into the church secretly (e.g. 2 Pet.2:1; Gal.2:4); they turn grace into immorality (Rom.3:8; 5:20; 6:1-2)
– Thomas Manton: ‘Half-truth hath filled the world with looseness.’