February 15, 2015, Berkshire Hills Baptist Church Sermon: Focus On the Faith, Jude, Pastor Doug Mann Jude, verse 20 to 23. You know, we've gone through several weeks of talking about deceivers, those who would come into churches and through a process of time and pretending to be believers, they would take over churches and take over groups and start to preach ungodly things, heresy. And sometimes these come very slowly in a church and they start to tear them down. And as we look throughout our country today at some churches that used to be really good and now they're not, and it's all because they allowed alittle bit in [00:00:55.01] Balaam is used as one of the characters of someone not to follow; he offered a different way and he caused them to compromise. Many churches are doing that, but throughout this whole letter, the main theme that Jude wants us to know is to contend for the faith. We don't change it, you know. Faith in God which is really not just the faith that we use when we get saved, but the faith to live each and every day. And we get that from the Word of God and we need to contend for it. We can't change it, we can't improve upon it. I see things on building of churches, and people say, "Wow, this could be the new improved church." No, that's when mankind tries to build the church, But what did Jesus say? (00:01:54.29] He says, it's His church, And He will build it; He will use people to do that but we can never fall for, "This is what I've done. This is what they've done." No, it's all what Christ has done. And as we look at the way other people live and sometimes we become discouraged and say, wait a minute, I know they're not living a godly life. And yet God seems to be giving them everything. They seem to be so blessed, they have all the money in the world, they have all the power, they have all the fame. They're living ungodly lives. and God went through and He told us, But wait a minute, He'll take care of them. Don't bbe concemed with them. Instead, what should we be concerned with? That's what verse 20 to 23 is telling us. This is what as believers we need to be concerned with. (00:02:54.09] FAITH, HOPE, LOVE Now, one of themes throughout the New Testament, one of the major themes, Paul wrote on ita lot and as you go through the New Testament, see if you can pick it up yourself Paul said it best at the end of chapter 13 {1 Corinthians}, you know the great love chapter? ‘What's he say? Now these three, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love, But that theme of faith, hope, and love Paul used over and over again. And Jude picks it up right here. Because he says in verse 20, "Building up yourselves on your most holy faith", verse 21, "keep yourselves in the love of God". So we've got faith and we've got love. We need hope. What's the hope? "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ." So this theme of faith, hope, and love is here as Jude writes it and that can keep us going each and every day. Let's look at these a little bit. Tells us in verse 20, "building up yourselves on your most holy faith".