The Model Father

 

June 19, 2022                 NOTES NOT EDITED
Google Search:  The Model Father
Matthew 6:9-15

SIS:  The model prayer of Jesus reveals the characteristics of the Model Father.

Raise your hand if you have heard the term, “Toxic Masculinity.”  As I expected, most of you have heard the term.  Anything “toxic” is bad by definition.  Some people may be confused by the term, “Toxic Masculinity” however.  It does NOT mean, some masculinity is good but some is toxic.  No, no, no.  It means, “being a man is bad.”

We have come to a place where society now defines a “manly man” as a “bad man.”  We now live in a society where women can be “husbands” and men can be “wives.”  Is that just not so insane as to be utterly evil?  Yes it is.

So, we live in a nation where manhood is bad and therefore “fatherhood” is extremely damaged or missing altogether.  We live in a nation where a present sitting Supreme Court Justice said, “I cannot define what a woman is.”  Again, that is so insane that it can only be considered utterly evil.

So, if manhood is bad and masculinity is toxic, celebrating Father’s Day seems a bit out of place.  For a vast majority of children in America today, they grow up in a home where there is no father.  For another very large majority the Fathers in homes lack basic masculinity.

Children need manly men as Fathers.  That is about as politically incorrect a statement as any that I could make.  However, it is true.  In a article by a leading professor in an Ivy League School, little boys learn how to be gentle by “wrestling and rough-housing with their fathers.”  That sounds backwards at first.  But, by rough-housing with fathers, little boys learn limits and when they have crossed the line.  Who would have thought that being manly means you have learned the limits of proper social interaction.

We know this is true by the statistics of how much violence there is in communities such as Chicago where children, especially little boys, grow up without fathers.

We read earlier a portion of Scripture called, The Model Prayer.  In it we are introduced to the Model Father, Our Heavenly Father.  This text shows us at least five significant characteristics of a Model Father.

1.  A Model Father is a “POINTER.”  (9-11a)

If you grew up where they hunt ducks or shoot quail, you probably get the image of a dog, one leg up, nose straight standing like a statue.  He is pointing out for his master where the birds are.  Many dog breeds can be used as “Pointers.”

A Model Father is a “pointer.”  He points his family, particularly his children toward heaven, and the Heavenly Father.  A Model Father creates an environment where the Heavenly Father’s name (character, person) is honored on the lips of his children and where building the Kingdom of God is the driving force of the family.  A Model Father creates an attitude of reverence in his children always pointing them toward heavenly goals and godly attitudes.

In verses 9-10, the introduction to the Model Prayer, the focus is on the Heavenly Father.  Three verbs are used to outline how we should view and address God, the Father.  The verbs, “honor, come, and done,” are formed grammatically to demonstrate utmost urgency and care in addressing God.  Utmost respect.  The verbs all come first in each of the three phrases, further stressing the utmost respect for God, the Father.  Literally the verses say: “be honored your name; come now your kingdom; and be done your will.”

Being a “model father” is all about pointing your family and others, consistently and continually upward toward God in heaven.

2.  A Model Father is a “PROVIDER” (11b)

Now, it looks like what a Model Father provides is rather meager: nothing but “bread.”  However, the word bread hear is a figure of speech a part stands for the whole (synecdoche).  Part of the daily subsistence, especially in the days of Jesus, was bread.  It is the basic staple on any table.

Here, “daily bread” stands for all the needs of life:  physical, emotional, and most of all spiritual.  Jesus explained this when He said, “Man cannot live by bread, that is physical bread, alone but needs also spiritual bread, or the Word of God.”

Far too many homes are malnourished emotionally and spiritually because even though the father may be a great provider physically.  It is simply not enough to provide for a family’s physical needs and neglect the emotional and especially, the spiritual needs.  When I was a child, most fathers in my town were adequate when it came to bringing home the bacon but complete failures at taking children to church.   A Model Father is a provider:  physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

3.  The Model Father is a FORGIVER (12, 14-15)

This is a biggy when it comes to being a Model Father—I mean a really big deal.  We know this is really important because Jesus mentions it in verse 12, but after he ends the Model Prayer in verse 13, the Lord adds an appendix in verses 14 and 15 expounding on forgiveness.  Forgiveness is the very foundation of all human relationships, including our relationship with the Heavenly Father.

All of God’s goodness to us flows from the faucet of His forgiveness.  The flow of forgiveness is a picture showing four significant aspects of forgiveness that allow us to live whole, healthy, godly lives with freedom, boldness, and confidence.  The flow of God’s forgiveness begins with God forgiving us.  The forgiveness we receive from God  allows, even requires, we forgive others.  That entails that others forgive us. Without this flow of forgiveness from God to us and between ourselves and others, there is no foundation for any healthy relationships.  And, finally, in order for forgiveness to set us free we must learn to forgive ourselves (Rom. 8:1). At any point in this flow of forgiveness a pipe can break or a clog develop and relationships wills suffer.  That includes a Father’s relationship with his family.  There must be a continuous flow of forgiveness.  Children will especially test the limits of a Father’s forgiveness.  Keep the faucet of forgiveness fully open.

4.  A Model Father is LEADER (13a)

Earlier I spoke of the Model Father as being POINTER, constantly redirecting the focus of the family upward to God.  But, being a pointer is related to being a LEADER and vice versa.  A sign can point the way, but it is insufficient to actually map out the specifics of the route. 

The word translated “lead” (KJV, NASB) or “bring” (CSB) means to act in a way to secure the desired result or condition.  It is more than simply “pointing the way,” but it is providing leadership instructions or a detailed map of how to get there.  The force of this verse means,

“Do not allow us to yield to temptation, but give us clear instructions on how to avoid it.”

Leadership is required to show children “how to avoid temptations” and exactly how to pursue godliness.  A Model Father should constantly point to the need of prayer, for example, but should also lead the way by teaching his children exactly how to pray.  This same necessity of leadership is important in every aspect of life from prayer to how to do basic plumbing.  Children need leadership.  Telling a child what is expected without leading them and providing the skills to do what is expected with lead to strife and even rebellion. 

I’ve mentioned before that many of my relative living out on the ridges and rolling hills outside of town did not have indoor plumbing in the early days.  They had a “one-hole outhouse.”  I’ll let your own imagination supply the images and smells.  While all the outhouses that I knew of, or ever used (which required the most extreme of emergencies if you know what I mean), all were “one-holers.”  This is not only true of outhouses, but also of thrones.  All thrones were one-seaters.  There has to be a place in every organization, including the family, where the buck stops.  Every family needs a single leader and that leader has to be the Father for a family to run effectively. The Model Father leads his family as he is following God. 

5.  The Model Father is a PROTECTOR (13b)

The word translated “deliver” (ῥῦσαι rhusai rῡ-say) has a very broad range of meaning in the original language.  It can mean, “to guard, protect, support, defend, repel” (an attack).” The idea is one of complete “protection,” both preemptive and redemptive.  A Father’s primary duty is to stand guard at the door of his family, and should one of his own fall into calamity, it is the father’s duty to “rescue” that child.

With so many father’s either absent from the American family or apathetic to their role as the “Protector,” the door to the sheepfold is unattended and the ravaging wolves of society is devouring our family.

The Model Father is the “pastor, or shepherd of the family” under the Lordship of Christ.  The primary protector of the family throughout the history of God’s redemptive story were not the priests or preachers but the parent, and first and foremost the father.  The Book of Deuteronomy sets forth the primacy of the Father as the Protecting Shepherd of the hearts, minds, and lives of children:

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 (CSB)  ⁶ These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. ⁷ Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

The Father is the one given the ultimate responsibility to “Protect” the hearts and minds of the children by repeating God’s Word, talking about God’s Word, and even binding God’s Word physically to his body as a constant reminder like the bumpers on freeway lanes that remind us to stay in the safety or our own lane.

But, notice especially that phrase, “Write them on the doorposts of your house.”  This is reminiscent of that fateful night when God sent the Death Angel throughout Egypt as the Tenth Plague, which would take the life of every first-born child.  God had instructed the people to sacrifice a lamb and brush the doorposts of the house with the blood.  In every house where the doorpost was covered in blood, the Death Angel would “pass over” and no death would come to that house.

There is much death among the youth in our society from drugs to school shootings to suicide.  The nation is in chaos.  Why? To a very large degree the responsibility lies at the feet of Fathers.  We have abdicated our duty as the Protector of our family and have not covered the doorposts of our homes with the blood of Jesus.  We have sent our children to church for the pastor and Sunday School teachers to teach them, instead of accepting our responsibility for their hearts, minds, and bodies from the ravages of the Death Angel of sin.

The Model Father is represented clearly in Scripture, and specifically here in the model prayer. The Model Father is Yahweh, God Almighty.  Yahweh, the Holy God of Scripture, is PROVIDER, FORGIVER, LEADER, AND PROTECTOR.  As godly Fathers, we need to follow the Heavenly Fathers model pointing our families toward Him each day, every day, all day long.

The game of life is stacked against children today in a way it has never been in history.  Children need the guidance of godly fathers.

We live in a world that is in very, very, very bad shape.  I know there have been “doom and gloom” preachers since the beginning of time.  I know that it is common for generations to feel that they are living through the worst time in human history.  I’m sure my grandparents and parents felt that way living through the Great Depression.  But, I am not making my evaluation we are in the worst days of human history based upon economic or even social conditions.  I’m making it based upon the “collapse of fatherhood.”  Without the moral leadership of godly fathers the nation is doomed.  Mothers, as wonderful as they are cannot carry the weight of the world.  We need fathers who can coach their children into becoming all that God intends for them to be.  Fathers alone can provide this needed coaching for children to be successful in the game of life.

 

One of my favorite stories is about a high school football game.  A few years ago two rival high school football teams were locked in combat in the final championship game.  Each team’s reputation was on the line.  The home team was backed up to its own 3 yard line with time running out.   The score was tied.  On the next play, the first string quarterback was sacked at the line of scrimmage.  Worse yet, his ankle was sprained.  The second string quarterback was out with the flu.  The coach had no choice but to play a freshman quarterback who had never been in a high school game.  The coach hoped that he could keep the game tied, and the first string quarterback could go back in the game during overtime, and save the home team’s reputation.  He sent the rookie into the game with explicit instructions.  The coach said, “Run 22-e twice, and then punt.”  The coach did not want to take the chance of giving the other team the ball with time left for a possible score.  So, in goes the rookie.  He calls “22-e.”  The team runs the play and to the surprise of everyone they gained 45 yards.  They were now on the 48 yard line.  In the huddle, the rookie quarterback follows his coaches orders and calls 22-e.  This time the team gains 49 yards.  It is last down.  One second remains on the timer.  They are on the 3 yard line.  This would be their last play.  The rookie follows orders.  He takes the snap, drops back, and punts the ball into the end zone.  The game ends in a tie.  The team will go on to lose in overtime.

 

When the rookie comes off the field after punting from the 3 yard line, the coach is red with rage.  The rookie could not understand it.  He followed the coaches orders to the letter.  Barely able to talk the coach stammers, “Son, what in the world was going through your mind on that last play?”  The rookie quarterback answered, “The only thing going through my mind was, ‘man do we ever have a dumb coach!”

 

Be a Model Coach.  Be a Model Father.

 

Jude Pt 5: One More Move

 

May 29, 2022                 NOTES NOT EDITED
Jude Pt5:  One More Move
Jude 24-25

SIS:  When it looks like there’s no way out for you, God always has one more move.

The story of the Checkmate Painting has been around a long time.  “According to legend, and probably fact, the story goes like this. A chess grand master along with a group of friends came upon this intriguing painting in the Louvre museum alongside other famous art such as the Mona Lisa.

The grand master stared a long time at the chess board in the painting and finally noticed something surprising. The typical interpretation of the painting (that the devil had the man in “checkmate”) was incorrect.

Though the devil seemed to be the obvious victor, he was in fact not winning. The man, who thought he was losing, was actually winning.

According to the arrangement of the pieces left on the chess board, his king had one more move. This fateful move would make him the winner of the game.

The grand master called the curator and determined that the title “Checkmate” did not fit the scene because the forlorn-looking player actually had the ability to defeat his opponent, though he didn’t realize it yet. His king had one more move.”

And so, we come to the conclusion that the Sovereignty of God will always maintain the Security of the Believer.

These two powerful doctrines, like two mighty rivers merging into one great confluence of joy for the believer, find a rich expression in the concluding doxology in the Book of Jude.  Let’s Read that Doxology together: Jude 24–25 (NLT)

²⁴ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. ²⁵ All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

This Doxology—Hymn of Praise—is packed full of dynamic doctrine, particularly the two great doctrines of the Sovereignty of God and Security of the Believer.  The former guarantees the latter.  When the Sovereignty of God guarantees the Security of the Believer the result is eternal joy—hence, my subtitle, Doxology of Joy.

So many Christians are saved but they have no joy.  Their joy is devoured by doubt.  They once believed they were saved, but for whatever reason, now they just don’t know.  The false teaching that a person can “lose their salvation” will disintegrate their joy faster than a blow torch can melt a snowflake.

There are two great lies the Devil uses to trip up believers.  One is that you must “work for your salvation.”  The other is that you can “lose your salvation” by what you do or don’t do in life.  Both these are “damnable lies of the Devil” and must resoundingly rejected.  Jude ends his book on defeating the dangers of false teachers with a Doxology of Joy—joy unspeakable and full of glory (1Pet. 1:8).

We are “eternally secure” in our faith, not because of our ability but because of God’s ability.  Look again at Jude 24:  “Now to Him that is able to protect you.”  The word, “able,” translates the original word, dunamenos.  This is a word group formed from the base verb “dunõ which has a very wide range of meaning, but generally refers to “the power or ability to do work.” 

In 1867 Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist combined an explosive substance, nitroglycerine, with and absorbent material which could be pressed into a small stick.  That small stick was more stable than nitroglycerine, but just as explosive.  He named the new explosive stick “dynamite” from the word, “dunamis,” meaning power.  Since 1867 many mountains have been moved to create roads by the use of “dynamite.” 

This is what Jude refers to when he says, “GOD IS DYNAMENOS!” God has the “supercharged, explosive power to secure our salvation for all time against all challenges.”  It is impossible to feel “100% secure” about our salvation without understanding the sovereignty of God.  And, it is impossible to have the “joy unspeakable that comes from salvation” if we are not 100% sure we are saved, are being saved, and will forever be saved.

The Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God and the Doctrine of the Security of the Believer merge together to form a bottomless Lake of Unspeakable Joy in a believer’s life.

That’s why, when it looks like all hell has broken lose and we are backed into a corner with no way out – God always has “One More Move.” 

As we move up the Mountain Peak of Jude’s Doxology of Joy, there are three issues Jude touches on that give us great encouragement in these dastardly dark days.

1.  God Is Sovereign (24a)

Jude describes God’s Sovereignty as, “God is able.”  As we have already seen that means, “God has explosive power and unending resources” to secure our salvation for all eternity.  In a single word we can summarize Jude’s view of God as, “Enough: E N O U G H.

Now think of the human dilemma.  When we find ourselves in a terrible financial situation—as so many do these days—we begin to question whether God will be “enough to meet our needs.”  When we find ourselves facing some tremendous health issue, we might begin to question whether God will be enough to bring us healing.  Whatever the challenge of life might be at any given time—and we live in a time when challenges come at us like a blast from a fire hose—in times of great trial we often question our salvation and wonder if the God who saved us in the past will be ENOUGH to come through in the present, and even secure our future. 

Trouble brings doubt because it makes us question whether our faith in God or the God of our faith is going to be enough.

In the midst of the darkest clouds of our doubt, The Doctrine of the Absolute Sovereignty of God “thunders, “I Am More than Enough!”

Our Sovereign God is more than enough in three important ways.

One, Our Sovereign God is ŒOMNIPOTENT—He has more than enough power to explode and incinerate any obstacle in our way.  Second, Our Sovereign God is OMNISCIENT—He has more than enough knowledge to know what move to make next.  The Sovereignty of God means God is never in “checkmate” to the Devil.  God always has one more move.  Third, Our Sovereign God is ŽOMNIPRESENT—there is more than enough of Him so that He can be everywhere we need Him to be all of the time.  God is never stretched to the limit because an OMNI-God is limitless.

That’s the key to understanding the Sovereignty of God.  He is limitless in power.  He is limitless in knowledge.  He is limitless in His ability to be anywhere and everywhere.  When we have doubts we are falling into one of two errors:  1.  We doubt because we feel we are not performing well enough to be saved.  That is the error of  “DENYING GRACE.”  2.  We “doubt because we somehow do not think God is going to be enough or do enough to save us.  This is the error of “DENYING GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY.”  Jude could not state the matter of where our security and confidence lies in regard to our salvation more strongly than saying, “God is able!”  That means, as bad as circumstances may look in life, God always has, “One More Move.”

We can never fully comprehend the Sovereignty of God, nor can we grasp that in God’s economy of things, stuff works out in ways we could not imagine.  Consider the case or Andre-Francois Raffray.  You might have guessed, this story takes place in France.  The story ran in an edition of the Chicago Tribune.  Raffray was a retired lawyer.  Arles, the town in which he lived had the equivalent of “rent control.”  Nice apartments were very hard to come by.  Raffray learned of a ninety years old lady living in a very nice apartment.  He established a contract to take over the apartment when the lady died.  He paid the property owner $500 a month for the opportunity to secure the apartment when the lady died.  The lawyer suspected that the mathematical probabilities of Jeanne Calment were on his side.  Thirty years later, he had paid $180,000.  On February 21, 1995, Ms. Calment celebrated her 120^th birthday.  At the time she was verified to be the oldest woman in the world.  For many years, every year on her birthday she would send Mr. Raffray a card saying jokingly, “Sorry I am still alive.”

God is Absolutely Sovereign.  Sovereign even over death. He is Sovereign over every aspect of the operation of His Creation, including the day of our birth and the day of our death.  We can be secure and confident in our salvation, regardless of our situation, because God is Sovereign.

Let’s look a little closer at the issue of

2.  The SECURITY of the Believer. 

What does it really mean to be saved?  What does the Bible say about “staying saved?”  Can a saved person ever become unsaved?

First, here’s a definition of the Doctrine of the Security of the Believer.  I like this definition because it uses similar language to Jude, and as we will see in a minute, Peter.  The true believer in Jesus Christ is forever kept safe from condemnation before God, no matter what he or she may do or experience. (Joseph Merriman, Pastor).

Jude mentions the “Security of the Believer” like bookends for his small treatise.  Jude begins by describing true believers as secure,

^{(CSB) 1} Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

Jude ends his work describing the security of believers by saying,

Jude 24 (CSB) Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy.

Many good translations translate the word “protect in the CSB” as “keep” (ESV, NASB, NIV).  The words,  tereō in verse 1 and phylaxi in verse 24 are synonyms.  They both express a “high degree of security and guardedness.” 

The word used in verse one to describe our security as believers and the assurance that “once truly saved we WILL persevere to the end,” is a very, very strong word.  It is written grammatically in the perfect tense in Greek that expresses an event that took place in the past and the effects of which continue without end. The common verb form, “tereō” becomes, tetērēmenois (τετηρημένοις).  This form is not only in the perfect tense meaning the effects of the action continue without end, but it is also a participle which describes a state of being or continuous action. Jude 24 uses a synonym,
phulaxai (φυλάξαι).  This word comes from the root, phylax, meaning a night watchman or sentinel.

This is powerful language to express a powerfully important doctrine.  Without a strong sense of security, doubt will transplant our confidence as believers and eliminate our joy. 

The Apostle Peter uses this same word in describing the Security of the Believer:

1 Peter 1:3–4 (CSB)  ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Here Peter also uses a perfect participle to express the Security of the Believer in the strongest language possible.

God wants us not only to “be saved,” but to “know beyond any reasonable doubt that we are saved forever, no matter what we may or may not do, or may or may not feel, or even what we may think.” 

Our Security as Believers is as secure as God locking us up in the vault of His love and hanging the key around His neck.  This is why John declared with such great confidence that:

John 10:28–30 (CSB) ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

Paul joins Jude, Peter, and Jesus in declaring the absolute Security of the Believer by declaring:

Romans 8:38–39 (CSB)  ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Without any doubt whatsoever the Bible teaches, “Once saved—Always Saved!” Our Sovereign God guarantees our Eternal Security.

Why is the Doctrine of the Security of the Believer important?  One writer gives at least three reasons:  Stability in life: Believers who have an assurance of their salvation will remain stable during difficult times, they will live with the confidence that God does not change, and therefore, His grace is sufficient in all circumstances and situations. An effective prayer life: Believers who have an assurance of their salvation will also have a practical prayer life, knowing that they can commune with God and approach Him with their requests.  Authority over Satan: Believers can be confident that they are “Hidden with Christ” (Col. 3:3). They can trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to help them resist Satan and stand firm under satanic attacks. (copied)

So, in a simple summary, knowing we are saved no matter what gives us a “Star Trek Boldness.”  You know what I mean by that.  In the introduction to each episode you would hear these words,

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!

Without a rock-solid confidence that our salvation rests on the ability of an Absolutely Sovereign God to not only save us, but keep us saved, doubt will whittle the mighty oak of our faith down to a toothpick. 

However, when a believer knows without a doubt that he or she is truly saved because God is Absolutely Sovereign, that believer is willing to “charge the gates of hell with a squirt gun!”

We began our study of Jude with a description of the dangers of false teachers.  We applied Jude’s call to “contend for the faith” with a lesson on the Disciples Duty.  Jude concludes with a Doxology of Great Joy because Our Sovereign God has granted us absolute Security as Believers, both in this life and for all eternity.

Now, it is time for us to proclaim the gospel confidently and boldly in the marketplace, contending against every false idea the Devil might toss into the ring of life.’

Jude ends with joy inspiring doxology of God’s eternal care for us as his children.  In Christ we are secure, “Before all time, now, and forever!”

With absolute trust in Our Sovereign God, let us as church, right here an right now, decide to “Boldly go where no church has gone before!” and when we get into a tight spot where it looks like there is no way out, remember:  God always has one more move!

Jude Pt 4: The Disciple's Duty

 

May 22, 2022                 NOTES NOT EDITED
The Real Pandemic Pt 4:  The Disciple’s Duty
Jude 17-23

SIS:  It is not enough for the church to recognize false teaching, we must do something to combat it.

The Thrilla in Manila.  Even people who have no idea what that phrase stands for immediately recognize it.  It is the media description given to the final of three meetings of the two heavyweight titans of the “square circle,” Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier.  Without a doubt, these are two of the greatest heavyweight boxers to ever contend for the title:  Heavyweight Champion of the World.  This fight took place in 1975 in the Capital City of the Philippines, Manila.  The term, “Thrilla in Manila” was coined because of the rhyming expertise of the Pugilist Poet, Muhammed Ali.  Ali was known for his rhyming antics, such as “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  You can’t hit what you can’t see.”  In the prefight promotions for the Manila fight, Ali disparaged Frazier by nicknaming Frazier, “The Gorilla.”  Ali then poetically punched Frazier saying, “"It will be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla when I get the Gorilla in Manila.”  Hence, “Thrilla in Manila” became the title for one of the greatest boxing matches in the history of boxing.  It was a brutal fight.  At the end of the ninth round Ali was exhausted.  He said to his trainer, “This is the closest I’ve been to dying.”  When Frazier rose from his chair for round 13, his eyes were nearly swollen shut.  By the 15^th and final round, both fighters could barely stand.  Round 14 had been particularly brutal for Frazier.  Frazier’s manager signaled to end the fight before the bell of the 15^th round.  The trainer felt Frazier could not, and should not go on.  What Frazier’s corner didn’t know is that after the 14^th round Ali told his trainer to cut off his gloves because he was finished.  The trainer ignored Ali’s requests.  Ali would later admit, “ "Frazier quit just before I did. I didn't think I could fight anymore.”

Boxing is a brutal contest.  Sometimes, the winner is as beat up as the one declared the loser.  The final of three matchups between Ali and Frazer lived up to it’s nickname:  “The Thrilla in Manila.”

Today, I want to talk about another fight—a much more brutal and a much more important fight.  This is the fight Jude calls, “contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”  Let’s read today what Jude says about a “Disciple’s Duty to Contend for the Faith”.

(CSB) ¹⁷ But you, dear friends,Œ remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, dear friends, as you  build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. ²² Have mercy on those who waver; ²³ Ž save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

There are three distinct commands given in this section which can be spotted because they are in the “imperative mood” according to the grammar. Every verb has a tense—past, present, future; a voice—active or passive; and, mood such as indicative, imperative, and sujunctive. There are actually more than three, but there are three very distinct imperatives. The imperative mood represents a command to “do” something.  In this passage we are told to do three things in regard to false teachers in the church and world:  “remember the apostles teaching; keep (stay, wrap, guard) ourselves in God’s love; and save (snatch, rescue) others from the fire.”

God’s three commands in regard to dealing with the “fake news” and “false teachers” of our day are to:  1. EDUCATE; 2. INSULATE; and 3. INITIATE.

1.  EDUCATE ourselves (v17)

(CSB) ¹⁷ But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Remember the apostles.”  This is not the first time Jude tells us to remember something.  In verse 5 Jude said, “now I want to remind you though you know all these things.” 

DOCTRINE MATTERS! We can never get too much Bible teaching.  In fact, the current state of Bible literacy is abysmal. 

According to a recent Southern Baptist survey through our educational division, LifeWay, only 20% of Americans have read the Bible completely just one time.  Only about the same number, 22%, say they read a little bit every day.  This neglect of the Word of God is the reason for so much error in the church and world today.  When the Bible is neglected, doctrine suffers.  Less than half (47%) of Americans believe the Bible is 100% accurate.  About half (51%) of Americans believe that the Bible was written so that each person could interpret it any way he or she chooses.  Three out of four people (74%) do not believe that even the smallest sin deserves eternal punishment.  Almost 8 out of 10 (77%) people believe that an individual person must contribute (work for) their salvation.  Almost half of all Americans (45%) believe there are many ways to get to heaven.

The depth of Biblical ignorance in American churches has directly contributed to doctrinal error in the church and “false teaching” outside of it.

According to Southern Seminary president, Al Mohler, “multiple surveys reveal the problem in stark terms. According to 82 percent of Americans, "God helps those who help themselves," is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one's family. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.” (Albertmohler.com).

What Jude is pointing out is:  doctrine matters!  But, apparently it doesn’t seem to matter much to Americans, either in church or out.  Throughout the N.T. we are warned to preach and practice sound doctrine.  For example, Paul said to his young protégé, Timothy:

2Tim.1:13^{(CSB) 13} Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Another young protégé of Paul’s was Titus. Paul left Titus in Crete, a Greek Island in the Mediterranean Sea.  Paul had preached the gospel there earlier, but false teachers had come in and were destroying God’s work.  Paul’s advice to Titus about how to correct this problem was Titus 2:1 (CSB):

 ¹ But you [Titus] are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching.

A major part of the remedy for false teaching is to educate ourselves in the sound teaching of the Bible.  Each of us should be able to answer any and all objections launched against the Truth.  We should be able to give a biblically-based, scientific answer to those who believe the false teaching of evolution.  We should be able to give a biblically-based, scientifically sound answer for why “quantum tunneling” cannot create something out of nothing.  We should be able to give a biblically-based, philosophically reasonable answer for why Critical Race Theory is nothing more than the lie of Marxism in academic disguise.  There is a biblically-based, rational answer for any and every false idea floating around in the ether of today’s world.  This is why we must EDUCATE ourselves so that we can address the false ideas of the world with the foundational Truth of God’s Word. 

The first duty of a disciple is to EDUCATE oneself by “remembering the Apostles teaching.” Second, we need to

2.  INSULATE ourselves against the errors of the world.

(CSB) ²⁰ But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

To help you better understand the primary emphasis in these two verses, let me give you another quick lesson in Greek grammar.  I’ve already told you that the major force of this entire text (17-23) swings on the hinges of three primary verbs in the imperative mood—the grammatical structure of giving a command.  Verses 20-21 represents one long sentence and the main verb is, “keep.”  The other verbal forms, “build up (actually building up), praying, and waiting” are verb forms called, participles, or -ing words.  The imperative tells us WHAT to do, and the participles tell us, HOW to do it. So, a good translation of this verse would be:

²⁰ But you, dear friends, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, by building yourselves up build in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, and by waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

Now, let’s look a little deep at what it means to “keep ourselves in the love of God.”  The word, “keep,” means to “guard, watch carefully, or preserve.”  The idea is to “keep, as in, not lose something.”

Think of insulating a house.  We insulate a house so that we do not “lose” the heat in the house to the cold environment outside of the house.  What Jude is referring to in regard to “keeping in the love of God,” is to prevent losing the “heat of our faith” by reckless contact with the world.  It is about “guarding our hearts.”  It is not enough to EDUCATE ourselves by learning what is right and wrong, we also must INSULATE ourselves so that we do not lose our love for the Lord.

I am not talking about “Isolating” ourselves from the world, but I am talking about “Insulating” ourselves while in the world.  If we do not “INSULATE” ourselves while we engage with lost people, our love will grow cold.

This is why every Christian must get their children out of government controlled, forced schooling.  We do not want to isolate our children, but we want to insulate their hearts.  We want to make sure they are adequately “wrapped in the insulation of God’s love” so that they will not lose the hot passion for serving Him.  Listen to what Paul says to Timothy about keeping the fire of devotion to God ablaze.  The NIV gives a better translation of this verse by saying,

2 Tim 1:6 (NIV84) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

When we are not careful in our interactions with the world, our love for Jesus and devotion to God will “lose heat” and grow cold.  Jude is talking about what will take place in the “end times” (v18, CSB):

They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.”

In the Last Days, or End Times, the characteristic of the church, and therefore the community at large is what Matthew describes:

Matthew 24:12 (CSB) Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.

To keep from losing our “hot passion” for the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Work, we need to wrap ourselves in the insulation of God’s love in three important ways.  One, “building ourselves up.” This word refers to the building of a structure and is used in the N.T. to describe the relationship between believers, or fellowhip.  Eph. 2:20-22 explains the individual Christians important role in the fellowship of the Church:

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Second, we stay INSULATED in the love of God by, “praying.” That speaks for itself. Third, Jude tells us we keep INSULATED in the love of God by, “waiting expectantly for the Lord.”  Nothing will help you avoid being overly entangled with the world is to realize that this old world will one day be completely destroyed by fire and brimstone.

Consider what happens with an ice cube and why we need to INSULATE OURSELVES FROM THE WORLD.  When you put ice in water, it has an immediate influence on the water.  It changes the water.  However, as time goes on, the water changes the ice and the ice becomes water. 

We “contend earnestly for the faith” against false teaching by EDUCATING ourselves, INSULATING ourselves

3.  INITIATING ministry with the Lost (22-23)

²² Have mercy on those who waver; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

This is some of the strongest evangelistic language in the N.T.  “Save others by snatching them from the fire!”  This reminds me of how Zechariah 3:1-2 (CSB) describes salvation:

¹ Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

A lost person has one foot in the flames of hell. The gnarled hand of of the Devil has a death grip on the soul of the lost and is literally dragging them into the eternal flames of the abyss.  We are God’s Firemen and Firewomen, snatching souls from the flames of eternal damnation. 

When I said earlier that we need to INSULATE ourselves from the world I DO NOT mean we are to ISOLATE ourselves from it.  Absolutely not!  With the love of God wrap tightly around us we must INITIATE contact with the lost world to bring them the message of salvation.

This was the summary of the Lord’s Prayer in John 17, particularly verses 15-16 (CSB): ¹⁵ I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Simply stated, the Bible says, “we are to be IN the world, but not of the world.”  We are like a ship sent to sea on a mission.  There is no problem with the ship being in the sea as long as the sea doesn’t get into the ship.  Our mission is to sail into the sea of the world to rescue lost souls.  It is our job to INITIATE the meeting.  The gospel begins with G-O.  The Great Commission is:  Ya’ll go, not ya’ll come!

We are God’s Firemen on a mission to snatch souls from the fires of hell.

It is said of Firemen, “They are the brave souls that run into a burning building when everyone else is running out.”  That takes INITIATIVE and a degree of courage that is almost superhuman.

That is our mission as believers:  to charge the gates of hell and snatching souls from the fire of damnation.  It takes a great deal of INITIATIVE and courage to perform our Duty as Disciples.

The Disciple’s Duty is to “contend for the faith.”  It is a battle against the false teachers of the world that would destroy the souls of men, women, and children with false teaching.  As disciples of Christ we must EDUCATE ourselves about the world with the Word as our guide.  We need to INSULATE ourselves from the evil influences of the world by wrapping ourselves in God’s love through the fellowship of His church; and we need to INITIATE ministry to a world that is sliding down a deep slope of disinformation right into the fires of an eternal hell.