In the book of Jude again this
morning, we're going to be looking, we're going to read a little
bit of it, but we're going to be considering verses 20 and
21, and primarily on verse 20. And I'd like to read that, verses
20 and following, it says, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves
on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping yourselves
in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life. Now, it's keeping yourself in
the love of God in verse 21, but up before there it says,
verse 20, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. And remember, for a good number
of verses in Jude, starting with verse 4 through verse 19, it
speaks of those that, again, that were amongst them in the
group that were not of them because of causing dissension. They denied the Lord Jesus, and
it said, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, or things
that are not proper, and things are not what the grace of God
is, but into other things. just a not good thing that murmurs,
complainers, all the things it talked about to be aware of,
and then it says here, but ye, beloved, in contrast to them,
building yourselves up on your most holy faith. And in verse
21 it says, keeping yourself. And I'd like to look back to
the first few verses of the book of Jude. It says, starting with
verse 1, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother
of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, preserved
in Jesus Christ, and called, Mercy unto you and peace and
love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence
to write of you of the common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
And this connecting back over in verse 20 here that those things
are remembered again and that those are built up in that holy
faith. And we're going to look at a
number of passages that speak to that and what that, that bear
on that same, those thoughts. And I'd like to start with Colossians
2. And there's a number of places we're going
to look at that we'll see how they relate to that. Actually, Colossians 1, a couple
of verses in Colossians 1, verses 20 and 21, I mean 21, yeah, 20 through
23, I'm sorry, of Colossians chapter one, it says, and having
made peace through the blood of his cross, speaking about
the Lord, by himself to reconcile all things unto himself, by him,
I say, whether they be things in heaven, or in the earth, or
in things in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. in the body of his flesh through
death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. If ye continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached
to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister." And here that speaks about, it says in verse 23, continue
in the faith grounded, settled, and not moved away from the hope
of the gospel. And that's what Jude said there
at the beginning of the book of Jude there, to contend for
the faith that was once delivered. that faith and that belief in
those things that it says here, continue in the faith grounded
and settled, not moved away from the hope of the gospel. And those
that Jude had spoken of in the middle portion there of the book
of Jude, those that were ungodly people, ungodly men and the different
things that speaks about them and characteristics of them,
they were not grounded and settled in the gospel. And they had moved
away if they ever claimed to believe and stand in the gospel,
they moved away from that. And they would seem to be the
religious amongst the group. They were religious only. And
if they claimed to believe in the grace of God, and the gospel
and their hope in that. They had moved away from that,
because it said they not only changed the grace of God into
other things, they denied, it said they denied the Lord. Well, You could deny the Lord
without saying, I deny the Lord. You can deny that by saying,
is it really of grace and not of works? Or is it all of God's
doing, and do we not have a part? And how far do you have to deviate
from what the truth is before it's all untruth? And I think
probably those that Jude is talking about in the mix, You know, weren't
standing up at the pulpit and denying the Lord Himself, but
by what they believed and what they had to say and things they
were doing, they denied Him and denied that the grace of God
and what the hope of the gospel is in Him. he tells them, don't move away
from that. Early on, he says, contend for
that faith. And then as we see in verse 20 and 21, build yourselves
up in that faith. And it's not, we're going to
see in a couple of places here what that is speaking of. And
go to chapter two of Colossians, keeping that in mind. And it's starting with the first
verse. It says, For I would that ye knew what great conflict I
have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as
have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might
be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches
of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. in whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest
any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I
be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying
and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith
in Christ. As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up
in him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware, lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. for in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are
complete in him which is the head of all principality and
power, in whom also ye are circumcised with a circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses, blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his
cross, And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them. And then here it says up
above here, Beware, lest any man spoil you
after philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of men, and after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. In him dwell all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him,
which is the head of all principality and power. And here, not to be
turned away, but again, being built up in the faith, in the
true faith, in what the gospel says, in the hope of the gospel,
which is our Lord Himself. And as it says here, you're complete
in Him. We're not complete without Him
at all. And in Him we have all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places. And in him we have those physical
blessings that he gives us, but primarily what he gives us are those things,
and not a hope in anything else, and not a hope in ourselves.
1 Timothy. Turn to 1 Timothy if
you would. We're going to be jumping into
several places. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, It says here. in verse 12, starting
with verse 12 of 1 Timothy chapter 6. Fight the good fight of faith,
lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and has
possessed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge
in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ
Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession,
that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable unto
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. which in his times he
shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King
of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelleth
in the light. No man can approach unto whom
no man hath seen, nor can seen, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Charge them that are rich in
this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain
riches, but in the living God, who hath given us richly all
things to enjoy." That here particularly, that keep this commandment, it
says, and keep in mind and keep eyes on our Lord and that He
only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can
approach. That He gives unto His people. There are passages
that we have, that we've looked at before, that says, you have
the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ in
that we hold the Scripture that is God's Word to us always. We
know what His mind is. We have that. We have that in
our hands. We hold that. We pray God reveals those things
to us. Part of verse 21 that we'll look
at a little later and probably next week is praying in the Spirit
for these things. We pray God that He does keep
us in these things and delivers from the evil, as He says in
John, and that only He can do that. And it's done by the Spirit
and not done by the flesh. And He puts those desires in us as
Paul, and Paul, said that, as like all of us can relate to,
those things we want to do and have desire to do, we find ourselves
not doing. And those things we don't want
to do, we find ourselves doing. And he says, who's going to save
us from the body of this death? Because I think Jesus Christ
that our Lord, that is the only salvation we have, and it's not
a physical building up. We do physically encourage each
other and open the scriptures and those things together that
help build up the body and encourage each other. and those different
things that we can do, but this is spiritual things, and it says
we don't even know how to pray for we ought to. The Spirit intercedes
in those things, and He brings those things and prays those
things in our stead that are proper and what needs to be done.
He knows what our desires are in the Spirit, and He relays
those in words that we can't utter, it says. And He puts that,
and He can put that desire in us and does those things for
us. In Ephesians, turn to the book of Ephesians. And short of reading the whole
book of Ephesians at this point, we're going to read several passages
from, and other places, but the book of Ephesians speaks a lot
to these things. Starting with Ephesians 1, verse
1, and reading down a few verses, it says, Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to you and peace
from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence, having made no done to us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. And you notice in those, the
start of, the book of Ephesians, those verses there, how much
that God is dependent upon what we think about things and what
we have done. Not much. It's what God has done and does
for us, the blessings and the blessedness that he has blessed
us with in Christ. And we are recipients, and that's
come up several times in messages lately that that God is the doer,
God is the only motive force in spiritual things, and that he's the one, and not us, it's
not of our doing. All spiritual blessings in Christ,
and he says, has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself."
And the building up, as Jude talks about, is recounting those
things as, in Ephesians, we're going to look at other passages
too here, that the Scriptures say how we are built up, who
we stand in, and why we stand there. And I think a passage,
and I don't have it in front of me, but that we're speaking
to Israel and those things that he delivered them from many times. And he says, I don't do it for
you. I do it for my sake, for my namesake, these things. And how it's worded, I can't
recall exactly, but for his namesake and because of his name is on
the line, not theirs. We know what natural is. We've seen it in numbers recently
again and again, too. their abilities are and what
they're bent is towards. And it's God that's been the
doing of it, and they've been the beneficiary of many things.
But God's name, He's the one that's faithful, and He's the
one that causes that faithfulness in His people and that preserves
His people. And again, as it says, building
up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost
for these things, and that is the only way it's going to come
about is if God does that, and to encourage one another in those
things. And then also in Ephesians 1,
we're going to be in the first several chapters of it in a couple
of different places. But then in Ephesians 1, starting
with verse 17, just a couple of verses, and like I say, short
of reading all of the book of Ephesians, we have to pick a
few places. It says, verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of
your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the
hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints. And what, verse 19, what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according
to working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when
he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places. And here, particularly the thought
in verses 17 and 18, and 18, that eyes of your understanding,
verse 18, being enlightened that you may know what is the hope
of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the States. And that verse is eyes being
enlightened. It reminds me of there in Luke
chapter 24, when the Lord spoke to them, not just the two, but
in the gathering there. And it said, they opened their
eyes, that they understood what he was speaking about. And if
He doesn't open our eyes to it, it's just so many good words
that we can read. But He has to open our eyes and
we have to be enlightened by Him in these things. It's not
built up by hard study and memorizing. It's built up by what He has
done in remembering and recounting those things. And then in chapter
2, chapter 2, starting with verse
13. It says, and before that speaks
about what we are by nature and where we came from and what type
we were. And it says in verse 13, chapter
two of Ephesians, it says, but now in Christ Jesus, you who
sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us. having abolished
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace. And that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby,
and came and preached peace to you that were afar off and to
them that were nigh. For through him we both have
access by one Spirit unto the Father, Now, therefore, ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
being the chief cornerstone." in whom also the building fitly
framed together groweth into a holy temple in the Lord, in
whom ye also are built together for inhabitation of God through
the Spirit." And here it speaks about that Christ has brought
us near, by His blood has brought us near, And in His flesh, the
enmity that those ordinances that were against us, He put
them away and took care of them, and by Him we have peace. And then down here it says, we're
not strangers anymore, but at verse 20, built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief cornerstone. And that built on the foundation
of the apostles and the prophets is that what the gospel is, our
hope, our only hope is in Him. He is our peace. He is our peace. And there's none other, and there's
no other peace that we can have. And building up in that holy
faith is being in His word, seeing these things, and contemplating
those things as God allows us to think on those things. It
isn't just a read over once type of thing, and we have it, and
we understand, and we know all those things, but being in His
Word, and that is part and parcel of the being built up in that
is being in that Word. And then in, I'd like to look
at Ephesians chapter three. In chapter three, starting with verse 11, and again,
not to pick and choose what the Scripture says, but just picking
out some particular thoughts out of what Paul says in the
book of Ephesians. It says, starting in verse 11, chapter 3, it says, "...according
to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the
faith of Him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint
not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory, For this
cause I bow my knees under the Father and of our Lord Jesus
Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to
be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that he being
rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth and length
and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness
of God. Now unto him that's able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the
church, by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." And here Paul says that that He would grant unto us according
to His riches, it says, be strengthened with His might by the Spirit
in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith,
to be rooted and grounded in love. and in him, and that rooted
and grounded in love that we, that speaks, and a lot of people
speak about what love is, and what man's love is is not what
God's love is, and God had a love and thought for people before
the world was, had this love for a people, and that we're
going to be a fallen people, but we're going to commemorate
today that the Lord himself was the true Lamb of God, sacrificed
before the world ever was, and eternity passed to do that. And
the love that God had for our people, and God's love was not
based on something in the people or in the sheep that was given
to the Lord, but simply that he had a people that he set his
affection on. And we set our affection on somebody
because they either do something for us, have reason to, because
of them, we love them. It's not because we don't love
many people just because we love them no matter what. Or knowing
what God knew about what these people are like, that's a love
we can't really comprehend. We can't fully appreciate, I
think, the love of God has for his people. But here Paul prays
that he would grant that we have, as it says here, dwell in us
by faith, rooted and grounded in love in that. And that can
only be rooted and grounded in our Lord itself as he talks about
here, as Paul says. And then one more passage in
Ephesians chapter four, if you would please. Chapter 4 of Ephesians, starting
with verse 4, and it says, There is one body and one spirit, even
as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all
and through all and in you all. But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore,
he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is
it? But he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens, that he might fill all things, and gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of
the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. that we henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about with every
winded doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie and wait to deceive, but speaking the truth
in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head,
even Christ. from whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part
make an increase of the body into the edifying of itself in
love. This I say therefore, and testify
in the Lord, that ye henceforth not walk as other Gentiles walk
in the vanity of their mind. have the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who
being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness
to work all in cleanness with greediness. but ye have not so
learned Christ. If so be that ye have heard him
and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit
of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness. a tall order here
that Paul speaks about and things it says to do. And we know that
in ourselves, and as Paul says, in my flesh, there's no good
thing. There doth no good thing. These are not things that we we can't renew our own mind.
Our mind is not renewed because we decide to do that and put
on the new man, which after God's created righteousness and true
holiness, but those things that God causes in his people. We
desire these things, that Paul desires these things, but God can only do these things.
And also, as it says in the next chapter of verse eight, it says,
You were sometimes darkness, but now you're light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light. And it talks about the fruit
of the Spirit and things. And the only way that we can
walk in the light is according to His Scripture. what the Word
says, and as He reveals that to us and makes that light in
us and causes us to be children of the light and not darkness. I would like to look at a couple
of places in the book of John, and we may revisit some of this
next week. But in chapter 14 of the book
of John, quite a chapter. There's an awful
lot of things in the book of John, but in this, a couple of
chapters we're going to look at that speak directly to what God does and must do in
His people. And in John 14, starting with
verse 23, and above here, the Lord's praying for the church.
He's praying for His people. He's just praying for his people.
But here in verse 14 and verse 23 to start with, it says, Jesus
answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my
words. And my father will love him,
and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that
loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye
hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have
I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace
I give unto you, not as the world giveth peace, but give eye unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid." And in this part here, the the means and the way that these
things are placed in us and caused to be in us, in whatever measure
they are, are by the Spirit. They're not learned things. They're
not humanly learned things. They are given to us. And there's
much that the Lord says about the church in himself and the
Father, and the sheep that it speaks of, his people and the
sheep, they are ones that are kept by his power, by his doing,
and the sheep have very little to do with it. If he doesn't
draw the sheep, they won't come, but he says they will come. And
then also in John 17, and we're gonna We spent some time here with
our dear brother in John 17 a while back. But starting with verse
7 in John 17. This is the Lord speaking and
those that he had manifest himself unto it says, Now they have known
that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For
I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out
from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray
for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou
hast given me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I am glorified in them. and now I am no more
in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee,
Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition
that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from
the evil." And the Lord goes on here speaking of those that
He has revealed things too. He has, and he's speaking of
ones that he was physical with though, but the same is true
of all of God's people and sheep all through time. They have these
words from Him. And He causes them to be rooted
in His people. And as He talks to Nicodemus
about the new birth, it's from God above that this takes place,
and this comes from above. And He only can put these things,
and He does put these things. And here, what is so comforting
to us is what the Lord prays about His church, about the church
and the sheep, is that He keeps them. And if the Lord's praying
that He keeps them and keeps them from the evil, we can take
it to the bank. We know that His prayer is according
to what's going to take place and what does take place. And
so I think as we look in the last couple of verses of Jude
that we normally do-I'm not going to read it today-but that we
look unto God as the one that is able to keep us, and the one
that's to be able to deliver us from sin and make us complete
in Him. And that's who our hope is in.
And as Jude tells them to build themselves up in the most holy
faith, It's that reminding and keeping in the word that we,
through that and by his spirit that causes those things to take
place. And we're gonna continue some
of that thought next time. So with that, thank you for your
attention. We will carry on next time.