The Need to Contend

In this sermon, Pastor James teaches us about the urgent need to contend for our faith, drawing from the book of Jude. He explains that we must actively defend true faith in our hearts, or we risk being drawn away by attractive false teachings.

We learn that Jude, who identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (and Jesus), writes to believers who are called, beloved, and kept by God. Though Jude wanted to write about “our common salvation”, he found it necessary to warn us about a more pressing matter: people who have "crept in" to the church unnoticed.

Pastor James emphasizes that we don't naturally understand salvation and God correctly – our default mode tends toward confusion and misunderstanding. Just as his dog needs constant reinforcement of training, we need regular drilling in basic Christian truths to prevent regression.

We're warned about false teachers who separate their professed beliefs from how they live. These people pervert God's grace into an excuse for self-indulgence, reflected in modern phrases like "you do you" and "follow your heart." Though they might verbally agree with orthodox beliefs, their lives don't match their proclamations.

In addition, Pastor James stresses that true faith isn't just mental agreement with facts, but a living relationship with Jesus Christ. When we truly believe, our theology and daily life become inseparably connected. We're called to recognize and resist the temptation to disconnect our Sunday morning beliefs from our Monday morning actions.

The sermon concludes with communion and the Apostles' Creed, reinforcing that we're celebrating our common salvation and the core truths of our faith that have been passed down through generations. We're reminded that we have a gracious God who loves us, calls us to himself, and transforms our hearts through the gospel.

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