Earnestly Contend for the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints

Jude 1

 ¹Jude, 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:

 ²Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

 ³Beloved, 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.

 ⁴For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ⁵I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

 ⁶And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

 ⁷Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

 ⁸Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

 ⁹Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

 ¹⁰But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

 ¹¹Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

 ¹²These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

 ¹³Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

 ¹⁴And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

 ¹⁵To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

 ¹⁶These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

 ¹⁷But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

 ¹⁸How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

 ¹⁹These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

 ²⁰But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

 ²¹Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

 ²²And of some have compassion, making a difference:

 ²³And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

 ²⁴Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

 ²⁵To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

The book of Jude in the Bible is very short, only 25 verses, but it packs a punch. The writer is encouraging Christians to earnestly contend for the faith that Christ himself gave to the saints. The reason? That faith was under attack from within the Church itself!

Somehow, over time, people who are abject unbelievers creep into church membership. From there they do their dirty work, attempting to undercut the true faith, divide God's people, and engage in outright heresy.

Jude is very plain here. True Christians must fight the insidious creep of anti-Christian views within the Church. We must call out people for error. We must correct those who engage is blatant false teaching. We must forthrightly stand for the truth as Christ gave it, plain and simple, and unchanged.

Those who twist Christ's words and apply them falsely in ways the Lord never intended will pay a heavy price for such activity. He who hath ears to hear, let him hear!

Song: 'I'm On the Battlefield For My Lord' by the Homecoming Friends.

Who has any right to judge another?

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."--Romans 3:23

These words lay it on the line, the plain truth, unadorned, unvarnished, and stark. Every human being has sinned. No one is immune. Thus,  no one has a right to sit in judgment of another. The place to start with our judgments is the SELF. If we focus on self-examination and getting ourselves where we need to be, then we won't have time to go meddling in another person's life.

This issue is not the same as making value judgments or making a determination as to the trustworthiness of another or to deciding who we wish to spend our time with. Those things are a part of life, and we all do them everyday in order to survive. Imagine if we could not make an informed judgment about a stranger standing at the door with a gun pointed at us. Would we invite such a person in? Or would we duck or head for cover, and quickly close the door?

The issue when it comes to unreasonable judgments of others is spiritual in nature. We know who we are, and we know that before God we stand as sinners, along with everyone else. No one deserves the grace of God. The very definition of grace is 'unmerited favor.' We do not merit the love and favor of God. It is a free gift to sinners who don't have a leg to stand on.

So, the next time you are tempted to issue harsh judgments on another because they are rough around the edges, or because they use language we dislike, or because of various and sundry other things we find to be 'unacceptable,' just remember to go look in the mirror immediately. What you will find staring back at you is a sinner, just like the ones you are tempted to judge.

Song: 'Jesus Have Mercy on Me' by the great George Younce, along with the Cathedral Quartet. This is my favorite George Younce song of all time. And the great Glen Payne, lead singer and manager of the Cathedrals, introduces this song. A masterpiece. I encourage you, I BEG you, go listen to this.

O Taste and See...

Psalm 34:8
"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."


I have often said that God is the first to get the blame when things go wrong but the last to be credited and thanked when things go right. Why is that?


Perhaps it is our sinful nature. Perhaps it is our failure to express gratitude when it is warranted. And perhaps it is due to the fact that some persons are always sitting perched and ready to blame God as an excuse for the lack of faith or to justify their lack of belief in God at all.


The thing that strikes me most, however, is that those claim to have no belief in God will be the first to blame God, in unguarded moments, when their world falls apart. From a logical standpoint, this makes no sense whatsoever. You can't blame Deity for your woes if Deity does not exist.


By the same token, it is highly inconsistent for a believer to blame God for all that's wrong in the world but fail to thank God for blessings that are granted to us on a daily basis.


God is good. God is not vindictive nor spiteful. God wants the best for those who trust in Him. You can take it to the bank!


Song: 'God Is Good All the Time' by the Gaither Vocal Band. 

A Wonderful Personal Development Program

Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?


This statement forms the basis of the best personal growth and development program upon which anyone could embark--to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.


Doing what is just and right and honorable is highest anyone can hope for in this life. This means letting go of what is wrong, harmful, unjust, and dishonorable. Much self-examination is required here to detect those parts of us that need to be extracted.


Mercy is the basis of all human life, given that we are flawed, ALL of us. God gave us mercy, not justice. In like manner, it should be our desire to grant mercy to others when they express true sorrow and regret for how they may have harmed us.


Humility in walking with God is perhaps the most difficult part of the program. God's people tend to get haughty and arrogant, touting our moral superiority over others and castigating them on their personal faults. The key to a good life is learning how to walk humbly with God, knowing that we are no better than anyone else in God's eyes.


Song: 'Purify My Heart' by Refiner's Fire.

God Will Make a Way

Exodus 14 describes how God delivered the children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptian Pharaoh. After God sent 10 great plagues to smite the Egyptians, Pharaoh decided to set the captives free. But when the Israelites left, he changed his mind and took his army to chase them.

When the children of Israel reached the Red Sea, they were frightened into panic, begging of Moses that he give them a way out. The great sea was in front of them, the Egyptian army was behind them. There was no place to go.

But Moses reminded them to look up and see the salvation of the Lord. God always makes a way when no way can be found. And up from the sea rose a dry path, allowing the Israelites to cross freely and safely. But when Pharaoh's army began to cross the clearing, the sea swallowed them up, covering the dry path with torrents of waves.  All of them were killed.

We never know how or in what manner God will make a way for us. But be remind, dear child, that He always comes through for His children, one way or another.

Song: God Will Make a Way.

Cheerfulness

John 16:33

King James Version (KJV)

 ³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Cheerfulness is one of the marks of the life of a Christian. Does this mean we will always feel cheerful? No. Does this mean we never feel sad, depressed, or anxious? No. But, eventually we gain the victory over the tribulations of this life through the One who has overcome the world, conquering death, hell, and the grave.

Song: This one is vintage Southern Gospel Quartet Music from the 'golden era.' The Blackwood Brothers teamed up with the Statesmen Quartet to dominate the concert trail during the 50s to the mid-60s. Here you will find the Blackwood Brothers singing a song that opened hundreds of concerts and Gospel music radio shows throughout the era--'Give the World a Smile.'

Now Booking for July and August

Happy Independence Day, my friends! Let us remember freedom comes from God. Let us pray that America will always remain free.

I am now booking for July and August. Plenty of good dates are available. My new CD has done well in its first month, and I would love to come to your church or your meeting to do a program of Christian music.

These concerts are offered to you on a free-will, love-offering basis. There is never any charge for doing these programs for churches. Other organizations and promoters can secure my services for very reasonable rates. I simply love to sing, and I love to sing Gospel music. I promise you won't be disappointed.

If you are interested in having me in concert, contact me at anthonygmartin1@gmail.com.