Fighting for the Faith

                                                                              

Jude 3, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

What Jude wanted to write about and what he needed to write were two different things. He desired to write about the common salvation, or the grace of God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Duty, responsibility, and love demanded he write to them about fighting the good fight. Who wants to fight? Who wants to deal with trouble and false teachers? Who wants to deal with sin? Boys do what they want, men do what they must. Jude had a responsibility, and with false teachers creeping into the churches, he had no choice but to take up his sword and fight, and prepare the people to fight.

Some would rather let error go unchecked rather than have truth defended. They dismiss any defense of the truth as churlish and ungodly division.  Jude desired to write to them about the gospel, but there were enemies at had attacking the very thing he loved, and it was necessary to engage in the battle. Jude would have failed if he had wrote a treatise on the doctrines of grace, as strange as that may sound. I know how tempting it is, to pretend trouble is not there and hope it goes away. But it's not loving to allow enemies of Christ to devour the sheep. It's not loving to play nice with evil men and wicked doctrine. C.H. Spurgeon said, "We might sooner pardon the assassin who stretches forth his hand under the guise of friendship, and then stabs us to the heart, than we could forgive the man who comes towards us with smooth words, telling us that he is God’s ambassador, but all the while foments rebellion in our hearts, and pacifies us while we are living in revolt against the majesty of heaven."

Jude had to encourage us to the battle. He exposed the problem, gave warnings, and provided examples to the issue at hand. He exhorted by not only saying "this is wrong" but also, "stay away from it." Jude encouraged the believers to fight for the faith. If it is not worth fighting for, it is not worth believing. We don’t fight for "a" faith, but THE faith, the whole of Christian doctrine. Salvation by grace, through faith, in finished work of Jesus Christ. Repentance, baptism, godly living, the resurrection, and eternal judgment. Surprised that I placed eschatology and baptism in issues that we must earnestly contend for? The writer of Hebrews 6:1 tells us these things are the principles of the doctrine of Christ. These truths were given and entrusted to us, and there will be no other new doctrine. No new way, no new light. Times will change, culture will change, what people think as acceptable will change, but the faith once delivered will not change.

The Work Can Crush You

"[God] is the Boss, while we are busily engaged (and often exhausted) in his work. We lose sight of the liberating truth that he is also lover, friend, encourager, comforter. This Master calls us to know him, and to share not just the work of the gospel but also the rest and the fellowship the gospel opens to us. What could be more tragic in the preacher’s life but that he would wear himself away to skin and bone, starving himself of the very grace he seeks to proclaim to others?  

Love only the work, and the work will crush us. Of course it will; the needs of a struggling church and a broken world are completely overwhelming. And while we effectively forget who God is in his gospel love, we will think that he achieves some satisfaction (some glory, even) in our being overworked and beaten down. But our fretful Saturdays, overwhelming Sundays, and washed-out Mondays might be less a symptom of zealous gospel faith and labor, and more a sign that we are anxiously slaving for God and man with little confidence and pleasure in God’s sheer goodness. We are wrong, dangerously wrong. He is not that sort of God. Ministry is not that sort of work. Preaching is the declaration of the God we know. Preaching is one broken sinner saying to others with exactly the same struggles, “This is the grace I’m discovering, which I long for you to know with me.” And if the preacher and his preaching are captivated by this grace, then the life of the preacher will be one of humble, praise-filled joy."

Lewis Allen, The Preacher's Catechism

What You Need

Jude 2, “Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.” Jude introduced the letter in verse one by telling us who he was, then he told us who we are, now he tells us what we need by way of this short prayer. What do we need? I'm sure one of the first things that come to mind is our physical needs or financial needs. As great as those may be, our greatest need to enjoy life is God's mercy, peace, and love.  For true joy, we need God's mercy and know His peace and have His love shed abroad in our hearts.

God shows mercy by having compassion on a sinner and relieving their suffering. Vile, wretched sinners as we are, the Father sent His only begotten Son into this world to die for the undeserving that we might have eternal life. God had compassion on Hell deserving rebels and in great mercy, the Great Physician, visits the sin-sick and relived our soul suffering and gave us life. God's mercy is providing a sacrifice for our sins, freeing us from condemnation, and justifying us in giving us the righteousness of Christ. He relieved us from our dreadful condition.

We have peace with God (Romans 5:1, Colossians 1:20) through Christ that only comes through His precious blood. Our default position  is enmity against God. We don't like His law, and can't keep it and can't please God in the flesh (Romans  8:7-8). No peace, only war. But in Christ, we are reconciled and have peace with God. We are no longer enemies since the point of conflict (our heart and our sin) is dealt with on the cross. We are justified and have union with Jesus, the Son whom the Father is well pleased, the cause of the conflict (our sin), is gone. The unmatchable love of God is a sacrificing love, a pure, unconditional, complete, undying love. Because God loved us, He had mercy and provided the means of peace.  

God is eternal and unchangeable. God does not grow in mercy nor increase in love. God is love. It isn't God that multiplies or God's love multiplies, but our need is, as John Gill wrote, "an enlarged view and fresh application" of these graces in our lives. We have God's mercy in Christ, but no doubt need to remember we are saved by grace and not by works. We have perfect peace with Jesus Christ, but certainly we all could use a fresh view of the gospel and our justification. To remind ourselves the grounds of our peace, the certainty of our peace, and the perfection of our peace through the blood of Jesus. We need these graces multiplied.  We need to peer deeper into the gospel and drink deeply from God's Word and magnify and multiply mercy, love and peace in our hearts. Make it a point, every day, to think about how God showed you mercy, provided peace, because He loves you.

A Pure Conscience - Tuesday with 2 Timothy #3

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience,

The start of verse three is a parenthetical comment, but it certainly packs a punch and worthy of our attention. Paul served God with a pure conscience. We must know how anyone can serve God with a pure conscience, and then do what he does. 

First, Paul served God faithfully. He lived to serve God. He delighted to serve God and wasn’t condemned for doing the right thing with the wrong attitude or for the wrong reason. You can feel the weight of condemnation when you are going through the motions, and still playing the part.

Secondly, Paul formed his life and ministry to God’s commands. There was nothing, as far as he could know and perceive, in his life and service to the Lord that was wrong or unscriptural. Paul did what he believed to be correct. Paul followed Jesus in what he knew to be right and would not waver. This doesn’t mean Paul was perfect, but his conscience was clear in what he did for the service of Jesus. He didn’t let things slide because they were unpopular, or do things that were wrong to build his profile. Paul knew what he believed and stood firm in what he knew was right, with no compromise.

But doesn’t that mean Paul was perfect?

No, it means Paul repents of his sins and his failings. He doesn’t say that he serves in sinless perfection, but with a pure conscience. He doesn’t have sin hanging over his head. He doesn’t have secrets hidden deep within his soul. When we sin and when we fail, we must repent and ask forgiveness of both God and man. The mistake most men make is to double down on their failures or mistakes. We fail in ministry then make it worse by trying to justify our sin. Or, we sin against a brother and make it worse by adding to the first sin, a second of lying and a third of bitterness. Perhaps a fourth, getting in the pulpit with a heart of unforgiveness. All men make mistakes, but a true man will admit them and make corrections and seek forgiveness.

Who are you?

Jude 1,  ”Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”

The first part of the salutation, Jude told us who he was. Though his family history would seem important, Jude was a servant of Christ, that was who Jude was, his identity. He was a Christian. I hope the same with you. Jude told the readers who we are as Christians. That is an interesting way to start a letter, he told us who he was, then told us who WE are.

We need that reminder. It is easy to be overwhelmed by even normal circumstances of life, and what a comfort, (and sometimes a rebuke) but always a joy to recall who we are in Christ Jesus. Christians can let the world tell them who they are, we can let our enemies tell us who we are; even let the Devil accuse us and tell us who we are. Praise be to God that He graciously tells us, over and again, who we really are in Jesus Christ the Lord.

Almost like a military leader, Jude warns us, in this letter, against false teachers, and writes words of war to encourage the troops. When false teacher come, we must find refuge and strength in who we are, why we are, and what we are. Jude’s identity is in Christ, and that is who we are. Know who you are on account of Christ. Who you are as God sees you and has made you. Therein lays our strength and confidence. Jude is giving a war time sermon. He is now addressing the soldiers of Christ. You are in the midst of a great spiritual war. This war has been going on for thousands of years, and now it is about to heat up. Your enemies are many, your enemies are great, and your enemies are powerful. You have no choice whether the war will be fought; the battle rages on. You have no choice of whether you will fight this spiritual war against unseen principalities and powers; you will fight or be overcome. This would look bleak, if it were not for one thing -- you are the servants of the Lord of Hosts. Soldiers of Christ, consider who you are. Know who you are, not by your own power, or by who you want to be, but by who you are in the Lord Jesus, and all the benefits he provides his people. You’ve been outfitted with the armor of God and empowered by His heavenly power. Jude reminds believers we are sanctified by the Father, preserved in Christ, and called by the Holy Spirit.  Called by the gospel, effectually called by the Spirit, and called to be a saint. We’ve been “drafted” in the army of our Father, following the Captain of our salvation, and follow the Lord as His saints, preserved by His grace and power.

A Beloved Son - Tuesday with 2 Timothy #2

2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy was like a son to Paul. They traveled together, preached together, and suffered together. Timothy was his child in the faith. If we remember Paul’s love for Timothy in these two epistles, we see how, I believe, God wants seasoned pastors to help, mentor, and disciple younger preachers and younger pastors. Paul loved Timothy and wanted Timothy to be a good pastor and a faithful servant of Jesus. There was no jealousy on Paul's part. Jealousy in the minister is ugly, but it’s been there from the start (Luke 9:46). Most men, by nature, are competitive and competition is not a bad thing. But if a competitive nature causes you to be jealous of others, and regard their growth and the Lord's blessing on their ministry as a point of contention, then that’s shameful. If a young man, full of zeal for Christ is outstripping his fellows in work and service for Christ, the answer is not to tear him down until there is nothing left but a shell, too broken to do anything. Use his zeal to light a fire under you, and get moving. And, as Paul aged, there were things he couldn’t do anymore. Providence restricted Paul’s movements, chained to a Roman soldier will keep you from moving around. But Paul encouraged young Timothy, to go and do what he couldn't anymore and he certainly didn’t tear him down.

Paul and Timothy labored together serving the same Lord. The normal and Biblical way that young men should be prepared for ministry is through the church. A faithful pastor mentors and guides those men under their care in the Word of God and prepares them for their work. Let's be honest, a man, if he is diligent, can read and study and learn truths from trusted theologians and not have to spend $150,000 on seminary. It's shameful how men peddle the Word of God for filthy lucre. You cannot get the pastoral insight and training from a seminary processor that you would get from being in the local church and preaching the Word, guided by the pastor that actually knows you. I think fondly of certain men in my ministry and in my life who loved me enough to be truthful to me and help me along. They told me hard truths about myself and about my preaching because they loved me and wanted to help me. There may have been some things that Timothy didn’t want to hear, but coming from someone he knew cared for him and wanted the best for him made all the difference.

And may I add this, to any  preacher who is new to the ministry of the Word who reads this and thinks, “That’s not my experience! I haven’t had any elder pastors help me!” My question is, have you asked? Have you listened? Have you gone to men who started preaching well before you were born and asked for advice, counsel, books to read, doctrine to study? A man only has so much to give, and if he has a family, a church, his own friends, you won’t find him trying to pour his life into every single preacher that he hears is called to preach, especially if that man thinks they already know everything. But if you are humble enough to seek counsel from other men, then you’ll find men willing and eager to mentor you.

Hey Jude

Jude 1, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." I hear a lot of talk about "identity". People are concerned about how others see them, who they are as individuals, while some even wanting to identify to others something they are not. In the salutation to the epistle of Jude, we find out the Christian's identity is who they are in Christ.

I believe Jude is the Lord’s half brother. This may be offensive to hear for some, but Mary and Joseph had kids together. Mary was a virgin at the conception of our Lord, but after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had sons and daughters, and had boys named James and Jude – the only set of brothers named James and Jude in the Bible (Matthew 13:55-56).  However, when Jude introduced himself, he didn't say, "I'm the Lord's half-brother." Why? Because there was nothing in the flesh that attributed to his position with God. He was not saved because of Mary was his mother. He was not in the family of God because he was in the family of Mary and Joseph (Matthew 12:46-50). Reared in the same home as our Lord,  provided no benefit. Being the half-brother, of Jesus gave no advantage spiritually. In fact, Jude was an unbeliever until after the resurrection (John 7:5; Acts 1:14). There is no profit in the flesh, so when Jude thought of himself, he was first and foremost, a servant of Christ.  Jude’s identity was not wrapped up in who his family was, it was in Jesus Christ the Lord.

Jude was no longer his own man, nor was he a slave to sin and his own passions, because he was bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:13; 19-20).  When we think of slaves, or servants, we think of one without will, without hope and trapped against his will in an insufferable situation. Jude wasn’t complaining, Jude rejoiced in His situation.  Jude loved being a servant because he had a love for the Lord. In Bible times, men would sometimes get in such a financial bind, they had to sell themselves into slavery. In Israel, every seven years, God commanded all Hebrew slaves be set free, so it was a temporary financial situation. Unless, the man didn't want to be set free. Exodus 21:1-6  tells us that some masters were so good, and the slave lived a much better life as a slave than he did struggling as a free man, he would ask to remain in service. If everyone agreed, the master would pierce the man's ear as a sign that he belonged to him forever.  I feel like that with the Lord Jesus. He purchased me, saved me from sin, and is so good to me, having  such a wonderful service with glorious benefits, I wouldn’t trade being the Lord’s servant to be set free for anything. Who was Jude? He was a child of God, a sinner saved by grace, a servant of Christ.

V.D.M

The Pulpit is Not a Platform.


"By definition a minister is a servant. That is what the word means. Perhaps only 70 years ago it was not uncommon to see the initials VDM after a minister’s name. They stand for the Latin expression, Verbi Dei Minister, servant of the Word of God. That was the minister’s brand, if you will. By definition, a minister has no platform but only a pulpit, a place to announce the Word of the King."

According to the Promise of Life - Tuesday with (2nd) Timothy #1

Back by popular demand (and by popular, I mean no one in  particular at all) I present: Tuesday with Timothy. As we did with 1 Timothy, we will work our way through the book of  Second Timothy, a section at a time, every Tuesday (and by "every" I mean generally on most Tuesday's, unless something happens and I get behind) looking for encouragement to preserve in the ministry of the Word.

2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

Paul wrote the second epistle to Timothy while imprisoned in Rome, and soon to be put to death, making this his last epistle. Timothy was with the church at Ephesus, and Paul wanted him to come quickly (2 Timothy 4:9). We can take this letter as Paul's dying counsel to the young pastor. 

Paul begins with his office - an apostle of Jesus Christ, by God’s will. Paul was not elected into the office. No one voted Paul in as an apostle. God called Paul unto salvation and God made Paul an apostle and He did so according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. Those who are opposed to God's sovereign grace in salvation will say that God's election makes men robots and make them cold toward the salvation of sinners. Who could dare make the claim Paul was either? Paul was the most zealous of all preachers and missionaries, and yet he knew that God not only called him unto salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) but that God had called him in to the apostleship, by his sovereign decree (Acts 9:15). Knowing God called Paul unto salvation and unto the ministry did not make Paul a fatalist, but set a fire under him to greater service and zeal for souls. 

God promised eternal life to all who put their hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The promise of life is for those who have a real, vital, union with Jesus.  Union with Christ, wrote Louis Berkhof, is the “intimate, vital, and spiritual union between Christ and His people, in virtue of which He is the source of their life and strength, of their blessedness and salvation.”  Paul served His Lord, receiving the promise of life and preaching the promise of life. 

A Living Mirror

"For children are the glory of marriage, the treasure of parents, the wealth of family life. They develop within their parents an entire cluster of virtues, such as paternal love and maternal affection, devotion and self-denial, care for the future, involvement in society, the art of nurturing. With their parents, children place restraints upon ambition, reconcile the contrasts, soften the differences, bring their souls ever closer together, provide them with a common interest that lies outside of them, and opens their eyes and hearts to their surroundings and for their posterity. As with living mirrors they show their parents their own virtues and faults, force them to reform themselves, mitigating their criticisms, and teaching them how hard it is to govern a person. The family exerts a reforming power upon the parents. Who would recognize in the sensible, dutiful father the carefree youth of yesterday, and who would ever have imagined that the lighthearted girl would later be changed by her child into a mother who renders the greatest sacrifices with joyful acquiescence? The family transforms ambition into service, miserliness into munificence, the weak into strong, cowards into heroes, coarse fathers into mild lambs, tenderhearted mothers into ferocious lionesses. Imagine there were no marriage and family, and humanity would, to use Calvin’s crass expression, turn into a pigsty."

The Christian Family by Herman Bavinck