Sermon for Last Sunday of the church year, Nov. 23, 2009
Jude 20-25 “Hang in There”
20But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep your¬selves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22And have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
24Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
----------------------------
In times of prosperity, it’s said that one becomes irritated when the dog and cat will not eat the expensive canned food set before them. In times of recession, one becomes thankful when the pets will not eat the pricey food. In times of depression, one begins to look at the dog and cat, thoughtfully!
The Epistle, Jude reminds us that these days in which we live, the dark world in which the Church will continue to live until Christ returns, these last days, are truly times of depression. So we are encouraged to “hang in there” in these last days, because Jesus always remains faithful.
To keep from becoming depressed ourselves, Jude says in verse 3, we must “contend for the faith.” So how do we “contend” or “strive” for the faith to keep our own faith from growing weak? For one thing, scripture teaches that each of us has been given gifts, or talents, to be used in strengthening each other and for the building up Christ’s church. St. Paul explains it this way in his letter to the Ephesians in Chapter 4:11-15 ~ “11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”
Pastor Jeffrey H. Pulse, wrote about as a child being “tossed by the waves.” Growing up on the farm, we had a bus to catch each morning in order to arrive at school. The bus was supposed to arrive at a certain time, but it was seldom running according to schedule. I recall standing at the window with my brother and sisters, waiting and watch¬ing for the bus. As we stood there, Mom would ask, "Do you have your homework?" Sure enough, at least one of us would have to run to his or her room to get it. "Do you have that library book that's due?" It was in the living room. "Did you kiss your dad good-bye?" Again, we had neglected a very important task. We were so busy waiting and watching for the bus that we neglected to do what needed to be done to be prepared for the bus! Like Pastor Pulse and his siblings, too often we get side-tracked in the way we wait and watch for Christ to return.
There is a wonderful little book, written by Pastor Steve Wyatt that puts all this in practical terms. First, he reminds us of God’s great promises and all that God has done and continues to do for us. But then he says that if “God’s great makeover in your life is … to be, there has to be a partnership. God doesn’t just zap people, and all of a sudden you’re joyful and loving and gentle and thoughtful land gracious and forgiving! NO! It’s a partnership (for change).” God has done His part but He has given us work to do also. “God has given His Holy Spirit, but we still have to exert some ‘holy sweat.’”
“He’s given us the vine of His abiding strength, but we’ve got to stay connected to that vine. He’s developed a makeover plan absolutely guaranteed to give you a great new look, but there’s some Putting Off and Putting On that is ours to do.” Pastor Wyatt’s whole book is about putting off the old and putting on the new. His book, called “Trading Places” is about contending for the faith of which Jude speaks. While it would be profitable for us to go through the book page by page, this morning I’ll outline just two things we should be doing ... and that we can do. These two things speak directly to the issues we face right here in our own little Christ’s community.
We are directed to begin with Acts 2:42 ~ “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine … and in prayers.” They (that is: first century Christians) had listened, spellbound, awestruck, and amazed; to the words of Peter and the other disciples from the Day of Pentecost on. And they had heard enough to know that they had stumbled on something exceptionally worthwhile and precious.
But they felt the need for more instruction. They hungered for more knowledge. They wanted to know more and more the full story about Christ, the Old Testament prophecies, the life and ministry and meaning and message of Jesus, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension, His glorious promises. So we’re told that they continued steadfastly in their hearing and study of the Word.
Here we learn what must be the first and outstanding characteristic of the Christians of every generation if the Church is to exert any real power and influence. We must be Christians who continue steadfast in doctrine. There can be no strength of faith, there can be no power for the Christian life, unless there is a firm foundation of real convictions based on a sure knowledge of the Word of God.
We dare not ever think that we have graduated from learning, from the instruction period of our Christian life. As Jesus Himself tells us in John 8:31 ~ “If you continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” We must be people who hear the Word of God at every opportunity, participate in organized, formal Bible study, and read our Bibles frequently and regularly in our homes. If we are to be distinguished as Christians, we must first of all continue steadfast in doctrine.
Also we learn from Acts that the first Christians continued steadfast in prayer. They were people of prayer. And because they were people of prayer, they were people of power. They lived in close com¬munion with God. Daily and often every day they lifted up their hearts to the Lord of life. Many of them remembered personally the long and frequent periods of prayer in the life of the Master. And they were often admonished by the Apostles to “Pray without ceasing,” 1 Thess. 5:17.
They prayed morning, noon and night! And most important for us – they prayed with each other! So we see them praying in the Temple, in their homes, in the catacombs, in the streets, in prison, in court, and in the arena. And often they prayed their way right into the hearts of their jailers and judges! They were zealous, courageous, and powerful because they drew their power from God in prayer. They continued steadfast in prayer!
We, too, must be people of prayer. We should all pray more than we do. We should pray regularly and frequently, and we should pray long. I look forward to praying with the elders before worship for all of the reasons above. I cherish their prayers. I am lifted up by their prayers. I am given a joyful spirit to lead worship in their love and the love of Jesus by their prayers. I am encouraged and strengthened by their prayers. Our prayer time in the sacristy is an important example of the life of prayer in which we should all be participating – wherever or however and whenever! The power of prayer cannot be underestimated.
If you are dissatisfied with your spiritual life, if you feel that you’re not accomplishing a great deal for Christ, if you are discouraged in your battle against temptation, if you long to be more and do more in the Kingdom, try praying more. Continue steadfast in prayer, as did the early Christians. Pray for the teachers and workers in the Church. Pray for your children. Pray for your parents. Pray for your relatives and neighbors and friends. Pray for all people everywhere.
But, above all, pray for yourself. Pray for wisdom and understanding. Pray for a strong, sure faith. Contend for your faith in prayer. Pray for comfort. Pray for peace. Pray for heaven.
Ask God to help you to find the place where you are to serve Him, and then continue steadfast in prayer that you may be able to fill that place with zeal and courage and power and to accomplish great things for Him during the time He allows you to remain here in this world. Amen.
