Restoration (2 of 4)
Series: I Am the Church
Jeff Strite
Jude 1:1-7
Bobby Bowden, (former football coach of Florida State University) said that when he was in college, he played college baseball. During one game he managed to hit a ball right down the right-field line, into the corner.
He rounded 1st and looked to the 3rd base coach.
He turned at 2nd, was halfway to 3rd - and coach was still waving him on to home... and when he reached home, he stepped triumphantly on the plate. He had scored his first home run as a college player, and he was excited. Everybody on his team was giving him high-fives and slapping him on the back.
(PAUSE)
But then the pitcher took the ball, threw to the first baseman, and the umpire called him out.
How come? What happened?
Well, in his excitement... he'd failed to touch first base. Bowden later applied that lesson he'd learned to his personal life... and to his life in Christ:
''If you don't take care of first base, it doesn't matter what you do.
If you don't honor the Lord first, it doesn't matter what else you do.''
Here in Jude, the writer is telling the Christians of his day:
Take care of 1st base.
''Contend for the faith once delivered to the saints!''
Because, if you don't take care of first base... it doesn't matter what else you do.
If you don't contend for the faith that was ONCE DELIVERED to the saints - if you don't make it a point to touch THAT base in your church - you could really mess things up.
Then the writer of Jude goes on to say that the failure to contend for the faith has consequences:
• ''... godless men (will) change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.'' Jude 1:4
• This will lead to some not believing and facing judgment from God. Jude 1:5
• And eventually God will bring damnation on those who rebel because of your lack of faithfulness in contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. Jude 1:6-7
You c ...
Series: I Am the Church
Jeff Strite
Jude 1:1-7
Bobby Bowden, (former football coach of Florida State University) said that when he was in college, he played college baseball. During one game he managed to hit a ball right down the right-field line, into the corner.
He rounded 1st and looked to the 3rd base coach.
He turned at 2nd, was halfway to 3rd - and coach was still waving him on to home... and when he reached home, he stepped triumphantly on the plate. He had scored his first home run as a college player, and he was excited. Everybody on his team was giving him high-fives and slapping him on the back.
(PAUSE)
But then the pitcher took the ball, threw to the first baseman, and the umpire called him out.
How come? What happened?
Well, in his excitement... he'd failed to touch first base. Bowden later applied that lesson he'd learned to his personal life... and to his life in Christ:
''If you don't take care of first base, it doesn't matter what you do.
If you don't honor the Lord first, it doesn't matter what else you do.''
Here in Jude, the writer is telling the Christians of his day:
Take care of 1st base.
''Contend for the faith once delivered to the saints!''
Because, if you don't take care of first base... it doesn't matter what else you do.
If you don't contend for the faith that was ONCE DELIVERED to the saints - if you don't make it a point to touch THAT base in your church - you could really mess things up.
Then the writer of Jude goes on to say that the failure to contend for the faith has consequences:
• ''... godless men (will) change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.'' Jude 1:4
• This will lead to some not believing and facing judgment from God. Jude 1:5
• And eventually God will bring damnation on those who rebel because of your lack of faithfulness in contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. Jude 1:6-7
You c ...
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