If you forget that we live in a world under God’s curse, amongst the fallen in sin, you can get discouraged in a hurry (Many of us do from time to time, don’t we?). Sometimes I wonder about Noah, whom Scripture says, “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” who “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9): What did it feel like then for Noah to live surrounded by the wicked, where “every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5 NET). Was it discouraging for a man who walked with God to witness mass faithlessness?
Category Archives: Sermons
Amidst Persecution
The seventh psalm is one of the imprecatory psalms, psalms that invoke God’s judgment upon his and our enemies. The seventh psalm is also a personal lament of David, who is being persecuted….
Keeping As Kept
We are a people prone to forget. As Moses said of Israel, we too forget the God who gave us life (Deut. 32:18). Given this propensity, we find commands throughout Scripture to remember God and what he has done for us.
Behold, the Lord Comes
But in our passage today, Jude emphasizes neither Enoch’s piety nor his mysterious rapture but instead his prophecy. Translating Enoch’s words into a New Testament context, Jude emphasizes the imminence of Christ’s return and the certainty of divine judgment.
Contending with Deception in the Church
How do you identify deceivers who have crept into the church unnoticed? Jude provides three characteristics to look for: defilement, rejection, and dishonor.
Jesus, Savior, Judge, Lord
Jude begins the body of his epistle with a reminder, something they “once fully knew,” or “already know.”[1] Jude is introducing nothing new but reminding them, and us, of what we are prone to forget. What is it?
Beloved, Contend for the Faith
Jude begins his short epistle identifying himself as the “brother of James,” which means he was also the half-brother of Jesus. In humility he simply says he is a “servant of Jesus Christ,” as are we to whom he writes. In love for Christ’s church, he writes to the called with concern, with confidence yet caution….
Of All Peoples
He who said that he came to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15) did, in perfect obedience to the Law of God, not only as an adult but as an infant, as we see in our passage today. According to the law, as the firstborn male, he was to be presented to the Lord, harking back to the Egyptian captivity and God’s preservation of Israel’s firstborn sons by the blood of the lamb. Jesus’ presentation also included his mother’s ceremonial purification, following childbirth, and a required sacrifice of a lamb or “a pair of turtledoves, or two you young pigeons” (2:24), the offering of a family of meager means. It is a humble yet beautiful picture of covenant faithfulness, obedience, and the early blessings of a godly home.
Great is the Mystery of Godliness
And so, I ask you, is this your confession? If not, let it be today, and forevermore. Is this your confession? If so, then rejoice that your name is written in heaven, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Luke 10:20; Col. 3:1). Is this our confession? Indeed it is! For, it is not a mystery to be hidden but heralded to people of every tribe, tongue, and nation, a confession of salvation: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
God and Sinners Reconciled
I think our culture is willing to openly acknowledge Christ at this time of year more than any other, don’t you? It is a time when Christian virtues, such as hope, love, joy, and peace are openly connected to Christ, whether he is known personally or not. Perhaps it is because Christ’s birth is more culturally palatable than Christ’s cross, but in our post-Christian era Christmas still carries not only its name but its significance, even if buried in secular interpretation and consumerism. In settings that would typically reject the authority of God’s Word, carols rich in Scriptural reference are still sung. In a public venue, I recently heard Charles Wesley’s hymn caroled with gusto: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”[2]
Planter, Pastor, Preacher 