Contend for the Faith (Jude 1-25)

On January 12, at River Corner Church, Pastor Jeff McLain examined the letter from Jude and its message on contending for the faith as the new year begins. Jude not only shows us how to identify false influences creeping into the church, but also highlights how to stand firm in truth and remain vigilant in our faith journeys.

Who we are together.
River Corner Church is a growing church community of everyday people who gather to worship God, follow Jesus, and journey through life together.

What we practice together.
Our small church community is uniquely caring, simple, laid-back, and intergenerational. As a church, we want to be a welcoming, safe, and healing community for those who are seeking, hurting, or need a place to belong. Our practices are contemplative (reflective) charismatic (Spirit-driven), conversational, and informative. The times we share together are intentional and intimate, and a mix between modern and traditional. We want to be a place in which love and honor are lived out, where humility is central, and where hospitality is woven into the threads of our community. There is room at the table.

When we gather together.
River Corner Church gathers weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM to worship and experience God, study the scriptures, journey through life together, and partner with the Holy Spirit. We meet in a simple worship meeting house at 524 River Corner Road in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. You are welcome as you are, just be yourself. There are other times that we hold small groups, events, and more.

Our Pastoral Leader.
As the pastor of River Corner Church, Jeff McLain leads our church community and helps others to think differently about Jesus, life, and everything in-between. Jeff also serves as the Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission, where he works with those facing homelessness and poverty. Jeff, Katie, and their three wander-filled daughters look to lead quiet lives. Committed to lifelong learning, Jeff is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Kairos University and completing a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Executive Leadership at City Vision University. These academic pursuits complement the two masters he completed earlier at Fuller Seminary. Jeff has a passion for baseball, boardwalks, beaches, bays, and books, but above all, his greatest joy lies in spending time with his family and guiding our church community on our journey of faith together.

Learn more about us at rivercornerchurch.com.

Transcript

Recently, my Facebook account was deleted. Despite its many downsides, Facebook has been a helpful tool for me to stay connected with friends and family. In an instant, about fifteen years of photos and memories disappeared. For a few weeks, I debated whether to recreate my account. But I missed the sense of connection it brought. Rebuilding my network of over 1,500 connections has been a slow process.

What I know is this: someone hacked my account. They cloned my Instagram profile, attached it to my Facebook, and used it to engage in some activity that was against Facebook’s rules. As a result, Facebook flagged my account and locked me out, unable to distinguish the actions of the hacker from my identity. Later, I read and learned about how common it is for hackers to exploit weaknesses in Facebook’s system. They create a profile that looks like mine, mimic my identity, and then use it for improper actions.

This experience is a lot like today’s passage. Just as hackers can sneak into a system - culture and influencers can subtly infiltrate the church, exploiting its vulnerabilities. They mimic the appearance of faith but lead people away from the simplicity of our faith. At the start of the new year, it’s important to talk about what it means to contend for our faith so that we can recognize and guard against these threats to protect the integrity of our faith.

PASSAGE

This morning we are looking at Jude. This book of the Bible is the only one that inspires many people to sing a 1968 Beatles single, “Hey Jude.”  Perhaps you can even hear Paul McCartney now, “Hey Jude, don't make it bad, Take a sad song and make it better.” Jude is found right after the letters from Peter and John and is a letter in the Bible that is as seemingly short as the name that it is identified by. There are just twenty-five verses to this short epistle. However, it is not the shortest book of the Bible by any means. If we are counting the number of words in their original languages, the shortest book of the Bible is (1) 3 John, which has 219 words, (2) 2 John with 245 words, (3) Philemon with 335 words, (4) Obadiah with 440 Hebrew words, and (5) Jude with a count of 461 words.

Scholar Craig Keener identifies Jude as “a letter-essay, a letter used as a sermon. Letters were meant as substitute speeches or surrogates for the presence of the writer.” This is a great description of what this letter was meant and used for. At the start of his letter, Jude identifies himself as the author of the letter as he writes “From Jude.” However, that is not the only way he identifies his letter, he also shares that he is “a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James.” 

First, let’s process the idea of “a slave of Jesus Christ.” Recognizing Jesus as the Christ or Messiah meant that early Christians saw themselves as devoted servants, or "bondslaves," of Jesus. A bondslave was someone who served another, often due to a financial or social obligation. The term also described those who voluntarily chose to remain in service out of loyalty, love, or honor. Both are fitting to describe one’s loyalty to Jesus. Other Apostles, such as Paul and Peter, also embraced this identity. Likewise, Jude and James both intentionally referred to themselves as bondslaves of Jesus, highlighting their wholehearted dedication to Jesus as Messiah. 

Secondly, Jude says that he is the “brother of James.” In the ancient world, it was common for people to write fake letters in the name of famous individuals. However, these forgeries often went over the top in trying to convince readers of their authenticity. Genuine letters, on the other hand, relied on the credibility of the author’s connections rather than elaborate arguments. We can trust the authority of this letter because the church has long kept this letter unaltered. However, also because in this letter, Jude doesn’t try to persuade us of his identity. Instead, he simply identifies himself as Jude, someone the readers would already know, and as the brother of James—both of whom were well-known figures to the audience. This letter clearly states that it is coming from the most prominent Jude of their time, the brother of Bishop James, who was also the younger brother of Jesus. Some suspect that James is also saying he is glad to be James' little brother, who is seemingly more known. If Jude gladly accepts second place to his brother, he is modeling a humility not modeled by those he will address in his letter. 

While there are different traditions about which Jude wrote this letter, the most probable and widely accepted view is that it was written by Jude, the brother of Jesus. He is the only Jude known to history whose brother was called James, making this identification both logical and significant. We can also assume this based on the similar identification as a bondservant that we find from James.

To whom is Jude writing is perhaps the harder question. Jude identifies his intended audience in a very open way, he writes “to those who are called, wrapped up in the love of God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.” Most likely, Jude is writing to those of a Messanic background like himself. Perhaps he is writing to a people group his “big” brother is overseeing. However, he doesn’t identify their location, leaving it more generalized. 

Though he doesn’t identify a people, James does give us an amazing reminder of what it means to be a Jesus people. First, it means we are called (or sanctified in later manuscripts). Second, to be a follower of Jesus means we are wrapped in the love of God the Father. Third, we are kept for Jesus Christ. These reminders are important as we head into the unrest and unknowing of a new year. You are called. You are wrapped up in the love of God the Father. You are being preserved. Such words were written down by Jude so that could be read and read again as an important reminder. These followers of Jesus had a gift in Jude, an encourager who reminded them and who spoke over them, the way that God had a calling for them, love for them, and was keeping them safe despite their struggles. Jude interceded for them that God’s “mercy, peace, and love be lavished” on them. In this year, be reminded of your calling, God’s love, and God’s protection. Write it down and remind yourself. Also, get people in your life praying with you and for you who are praying that God's mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you. Pray that for others. 

We learn why Jude was writing in Jude 3, when Jude writes, “Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Though Jude meant to write an encouraging letter, he instead writes a letter that challenges them to contend for the faith they have confessed. Again, at the start of a new year, let us hear Jude’s reminder to be contending for the faith. The history of the word that Jude uses for “contend” is rooted in the athletic contests and public competitions of his day. In the games, people had to contend for honor and their very lives. This imagery was familiar to early followers of Jesus, who faced great difficulty and had to fight daily to keep and defend their faith. Jude intends the readers to remember the level of effort that is needed to hold on to their faith. Sadly, I feel I need to clarify what I mean by content in today’s time. In times of confusion and difficulty, Jude is not calling us into Dominion Theology. Dominion theology, like Nationalism, is a belief that Christians are called to exercise a controlling authority over all areas of life, including government and culture, to establish God's rule on Earth. This call to content is not about seeking dominion, control, or imposing our beliefs on others. Rather, we are called to contend for our faith—resisting the influences of the world that seek to reshape our faith within us. This fight is for our own faith and for the well-being of our church communities, it is about standing firm in the midst of life's challenges, being unaffected.

Jude continues, “For certain men have secretly slipped in among you - men who long ago were marked out for the condemnation I am about to describe - ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” The contending these Jesus people are being called to is a contending against what they allow to influence them. Jude meant to write an encouraging letter, but now he is calling them out from a bad influence that has come into their midst. His way of writing seems to communicate this is a letter he didn’t want to have to write, but the challenge was something he could not ignore. Perhaps the Holy Spirit would not let him write the other letter. In this possibility, we find what it means to stay uninfluenced by the culture around us. It is about letting others speak into our lives with challenges, and it is about allowing the Holy Spirit to interrupt our path through consistent promptings.

What influence was Jude scared of? He tells us that they are men who are not interested in being formed in the image of Jesus, rather, as a result, they are “ungodly.” They have made excuses to do things that are outside of God’s ways and God’s best. In doing so, they deny Jesus. He describes these leaders as influencers who came secretly, undercover-like. They infiltrated in a camouflaged and undetected way. Then, once they made others trust them, they began to teach that shameless behavior was okay. This is traditionally thought of as pursuing sexual deviancies of their day, but it also implies that they were just preaching permission to seek after a sense of shamelessness and reckless disregard for all moral standards.

As one scholar, Michael Green, points out, “There will always be those within the sheepfold who have not passed through the door, but have climbed up some other way; and they will always be a menace to the sheep.” Green points out that Jude is warning against a type of behavior where people misuse God’s grace to live however they want, acting immorally and ignoring the call to live holy lives as defined by Jesus. This kind of behavior shows a denial of Christ because, even though they say they know God, their actions say otherwise, and they may also be rejecting who Jesus really is.

We have some guesses on what that looked like in this day, but more importantly, we must reflect on what sort of simple and Apolostic faith would Jude call us to contend for today. His warning that culture will sneak in and influence us if we are not careful still stands today, even if the threats have taken new forms. The challenge to rediscover the simple and apoloistic truths of the early church and of Jesus still stands today. 

In 2025, many threats are sneaking in the backdoor and confusing followers of Jesus all around because they are camouflaged. They look like us, and they smell similar, but they plant a way subtly that is not ours. We all battle these cultural sleeper agents from time to time and for that, there is grace and forgiveness, but we need to win more battles than lose - we must contend. 

There are simple ways this detour from the apostolic faith may look in today's time. From spiritual laziness, where we rely on grace rather than living a life of mission and evangelism, to the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God is primarily interested in our abundance and success. We also see influences from culture, where we try to copy and paste the world’s ideas of contentment and success, trading our countercultural way of life for something more accepted. Influences are trying to change historic Christian convictions on sexuality, and movements promoting hidden truths, sometimes called “New Thought” or “New Age” beliefs. The influence of the idea that repentance and obedience aren't necessary to follow God also threatens our faith, as does the belief that God is calling us to represent the Kingdom through celebrity churches, with celebrities, and by domineering over the spheres of society. Additionally, the rise of self-help and moralism, which suggests that personal improvement can lead to contentment and meaning, undermines the simple faith we were given. Nationalism, when mixed with Christianity, can distort the gospel by prioritizing national identity and power over the global mission of the church, leading to division and the elevation of political agendas above the teachings of Christ.

We don’t have time to look at the way Jude uses other scriptures and writings, including the book of Enoch, repeatedly. However, Jude goes into a long look at how judgment has always been towards those who are indulging in a way of life that is counterproductive to the ways of Jesus and God’s intent.

Jude does give us some reasons on how one is influenced by such forces

• First, he tells us of those who “did not believe.”
• Second, he tells of those who did not keep their “proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence.”
• Third, Jude tells of those who “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire”

The men who are influencing the community, Jude says in verse 8, “as a result of their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and insult the glorious ones.” In this verse, there are three ways to identify such bad influences. First, we must be careful of those who dream dreams. I don’t mean prophetic dreams, nor dreams that are just because we ate pizza too late to bed rather, in this context, "dreaming" refers most likely to the false prophets in the Old Testament who were said to have dreamed their own dreams and who claim to speak the truth but actually spread lies and a narrative of a way of life they wanted. These are people that make the scriptures match their ideas or cultures ideas. Second, we must be careful of those that defile the flesh, or live in a way that shows no conviction and transformation. Third, we must be careful of those who insult the glorious ones - or those who defy decency in their physical and sexual lives. These are people who are giving us a way of being that looks more like the culture than the faith we were given early on. 

Jude gives us another way to identify such people. He says that these people are all “gut-reactive” and not “discerning.” These people, Jude says, “they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.” In other words, they are not studying the scriptures for direction, nor allowing others to speak into their lives; they are not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide their steps, just their emotions and earthly desires for abundance, fulfillment, and success. Jude also describes them as “dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting without reverence, feeding only themselves.” Though the NIV calls them blemishes, the word is reef. He describes them as hidden under the surface reefs that were deceptive and killed sailors who failed to navigate their vessels away from them. These people are detectable, though, because they are those who are showing their true colors in public during the celebration of the Lord’s Table; they are the people Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians who are eating and drinking too much and oppressing others in the process. These are leaders, shepherds of the community, who aren’t feeding the sheep, just themselves and their self-inflated egoism.

He also warns that “These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain.” Many of us today struggle with a critical side, and while that is not a good trait and a trait that needs transformation, that is not what Jude is speaking of. These people are cutting down others for the sake of staying in control; they make us fear others to keep their control. These are people who set narratives against others, who are always with their hands in cookie jars they shouldn’t be in, but they have a persuasive way of speaking that makes others follow them, give to them, and want to be around them. They use other people to get their own needs met and their social advantages, and they convince people they are doing it all for the most noble of reasons, unaware of their darkness. Jude also plays on the image of those in the wilderness who grumbled against the direction and provision of God. 

Jude is calling for us not to be untrusting, but discerning. In his letter, Jude wants us to see that “These people are divisive, worldly, devoid of the Spirit.”

Jude spent his time challenging his readers about the influences they need to be careful with, but now he turns to a different focus and tells them how they are to act on this information. So, what does Jude call us to do besides be aware? How does Jude call us to preserve and contend for our faith? As we head into a new year, what do we take away from Jude’s challenge in a season of mystery and unrest? Jude gives us those answers. He writes, “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, maintain yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life. (Slide) And have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy on others, coupled with a fear of God, hating even the clothes stained by the flesh.”

This is the way forward for Jude. Jude offers a way to not be influenced in the way of these others, nor become like them. Like Jude’s audience, who had become under the influence of Greek Philosophy and Roman Cultural Ideas, we have often given into Western Philosophy and American Culture. There are leaders everywhere claiming to be prophetically inspired by God, but they lack the Spirit, false teachers who are trying to distract us from the simplicity of the apolistic faith. One doesn’t have to look very far from newspaper headlines to see the way this is coming true in our day. 

TAKEAWAYS

At the start of a new year, Jude calls us to actively preserve and contend for our faith, offering a way forward that contrasts sharply with the world’s influences.

1. To contend for our faith, we commit to building ourselves up in the simplicity of the faith.
   Jude encourages us to root ourselves in the essential truths of the gospel, avoiding distractions and complexities that dilute the apostolic message. We are careful about who we listen to. Our leading must come from the scriptures and those who are putting their faith into the way exemplified by Jesus. Jesus himself said, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).
   
   
2. To contend for our faith, we commit to praying in the Spirit. Jude reminds us to rely on the Holy Spirit in our prayers, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, but also probably meant praying empowered prayers, which was thought of as being welcomed by tongues and prophetic words. It is about seeking God’s guidance and power rather than our own strength. When we are in step with the Spirit, listening to the whispers of the Spirit, we are contending for our faith. Jesus told his disciples, ”But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). Jude says we live in that reality now.
3. To contend for our faith, we commit to maintaining ourselves in the love of God. The leaders in Jude’s time were selfish and focused on being loved rather than loving others, or experiencing and knowing God’s love. However, Jude calls us to remain steadfast in God’s love. This is about actively living out our faith through obedience and service, but it is also about letting yourself be defined by God's love and not the affirmation of others. Jesus himself had something to say about this. He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love" (John 15:9). As long as God’s love is at the core of who we are, what we do, and what we are after we will contend for our faith.
   
   
4. To contend for our faith, we commit to the expectation and anticipation of God’s eternal mercy.
   Jude urges us to live with hope, looking forward to the mercy and eternal life promised through Christ. We remember there is mercy, forgiveness, but we also remember that there is more to come of that mercy and forgiveness. It is this sense of hope that must drive us. As long as we are living for eternity, not here-and-now, we will contend for our faith. This is the reason that Jesus told his disciples this: "Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me... I will come back and take you to be with me" (John 14:1-3).
   
   
5. To contend for our faith, we actively must show mercy and give rescue.
   Jude challenges us to extend mercy to those who are struggling and to help rescue those who are faltering in their faith. He invites us to be close to the fire, without getting burned ourselves, so that all may be saved. As Jesus promised, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7). In bringing back others, in showing mercy to others, we keep tender hearts that contend for the faith.
   
   

By following Jude’s guidance, we remain anchored in our faith while engaging the world with grace and truth, reflecting the way of Jesus. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

We live in a world of hackers. I shared how my Facebook was hacked. However, hackers existed in Jude’s world as well. There is nothing new under the sun. People have longed to sneak in, clone, and exploit the weaknesses in others for their own benefit. At the start of the new year, Jude offers ways to contend for our faith in a world that longs to influence it away from the simple facts of truth.

Jude ends it in the same encouraging and beautiful way it starts. He prays and speaks an affirmation over them. He knows this is yet another way to contend for our faith - having people speak challenge and affirmation over us, but also praying for the faith of others is a way of contending for faith. So Jude writes, “Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without belmish before his glorious presence, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, for all eternity. Amen.” Jude wants to remind us all, that none of us are perfect, but as we contend for our faith God is fully able to keep believers secure and persevering.

CLOSING

Thank you for being with us today as we studied the scriptures to learn how to follow, live, and love like Jesus. May these scriptures and any whispers of the Holy Spirit that you may have heard this morning stick with you. You can listen to this sermon or past messages through our app, website, or any podcast platform.

In a moment, we will close out with one last song to worship and experience God.  First, I want to give us time to share, because we are committed to journeying through life together.  We have a microphone, and if you slip up your hand, we will bring it to you. Please share where you long to see God move in your life and situations, offer praise for where you see God working in your life, or offer any announcements or reflections for the good of our church community.

(pause)

As we leave, we are leaving here to partner with the Holy Spirit to bring healing and peace to the places we live, work, and play. In light of that, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”