We're going to read this morning the epistle of Jude. Though the half-brother of our Savior, Jude identifies himself not as a brother, but a servant of Jesus Christ. Jude, 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 mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied. Beloved, 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. For 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. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And 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. even as Sodom and Gomorrah 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. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet 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. But these speak evil of those things which they know not. but what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe 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 Korah. These 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 weathereth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame, wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to 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. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time. who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some have compassion, making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. The sermon text this morning is verses 20 and 21 of this epistle. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. You've confessed this morning, Gillian, that you have a foundation. You confessed that. especially in that first question that you answered, where you acknowledged the doctrine contained in the Old and New Testaments, and in the articles of the Christian faith, and taught here in this Christian church to be the true and complete doctrine of salvation. And now, Jillian, your calling is to build on that foundation. But, gee, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God. looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And it's obvious too that that is not just Jillian's calling, but that's the calling that we all have, to build on the foundation of our faith, until our Savior comes again, and in His mercy gives us a home, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. The foundation, Jillian, all of you, is faith. Jude, Back in verse 3, he mentions that foundation and calls it the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. And it's clear that he's talking there about the doctrines and teachings of the Word of God delivered as Jude says, by men like Moses, David, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Paul, the Apostle. We have a foundation in those doctrines, a foundation for our hope, our hope of the coming of Christ and of living with Him forever in heaven. We have a foundation for our peace in those doctrines, especially, of course, in the great doctrine that Christ Jesus came into the world as the Son of God to save sinners. They have a foundation for living in this world, and living in a way that's pleasing to God. One of the most remarkable examples of that is the doctrine of the Trinity and its relation to the covenant of God. And that covenant, as you know so well, is something that has to do with every area of life, with marriage and the family, with bringing up children and all of the rest. And so, that faith, once delivered to the saints, is the foundation of which the Word of God speaks here in verses 20 and 21. And as I said a moment ago, Jill, you said this morning that through the efforts of your parents, through the teaching that you've received here in this church, you have that foundation. You've acknowledged not only that those doctrines are found in the Word of God and are true, but that you believe them. And that's saying that you have something to build on. And you understand too, all of you, how important it is to have a foundation. If you don't have a foundation, then no matter how beautiful the building that you erect may be, it's all going to fall to pieces in the end. And what you build is going to be like the house in that parable of Jesus that was built on sand and all fell down. in the end, have to have a foundation. And it's good to be reminded that the teachings of the Word of God are that foundation. Especially because the Word of God is so often neglected today. And we probably feel ourselves that we've neglected it. But building on those doctrines, and that's the most important thing, Jill, building on those doctrines, you're really building on Christ. First of all, because no matter what doctrine of the Bible, what teaching of the Bible you're thinking about, it has Christ in it. There isn't any teaching of the Scriptures that doesn't have Him in it. You've probably heard me quote that wonderful saying, that wherever you cut the Word of God, it flows with the blood of the Lamb. But that's just another way of saying that in all the teachings of Scripture you find Jesus. Search the Scriptures, he said to the Pharisees, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. But Jesus is that foundation too, of course, because As you know, Jill, faith is more than accepting, believing, confessing the doctrines of Scripture. It's faith in Christ. Something that makes us part of Him, joins us to Him. And it's then on Jesus Christ that you must build as your foundation. And you do that, of course, by making sure that you live your life as closely as you possibly can to Him. You have to build where He is. And if your spiritual life is a kind of wandering all over the place, then you're not going to accomplish anything. What you build is not going to be built on Him. And what you have to build on Him, I think that's already been implied in what I've said. What you have to build on Him is your whole life. A life of obedience, a life of holiness, a life that fits that foundation. I suppose the example from everyday life is the fact that if you lay a foundation, you can only build a certain kind of building on that foundation. You can't build a skyscraper on the foundation that supports this building. You can't build An office building, on the timbers that you lay down for a little shed in your backyard, the building has to fit the foundation. And in this case, that means that the building has to look like Jesus Christ every day of your life. has to look like Him, has to fit what He is as your spiritual foundation. And of course, we all need to be reminded of that. What we do in our homes, and we're building something, has to fit that foundation. We're trying to build in our homes something that shows how important we are, and how much of a success we are in life, and how much money we've earned. We're going to find, in the end, that that doesn't fit the foundation that's described here in the Word of God. And it's all going to fall down. You can't build that kind of a building on this foundation. But you have to do that every day too, Jill. building yourself up on your most holy faith. It's not something that you can do when you feel like it. Not something that you forget about most of the time, but then say after you hear a sermon like you've heard this one, oh yes, yes, I've got to be busy with that, I better get at it again. You can't do that. And the whole idea of building fits so nicely too, because anyone who owns a house knows that you have to keep after it. Or it starts to fall to pieces. The outside And I think you understand how that fits. The outside starts to look rather shabby, and the inside doesn't look any better. Both your outside and your inside spiritual life begin to experience the same thing that happens in a house that's neglected and not constantly, constantly built up. And if you neglect it too much, of course, then pretty soon you don't have a spiritual roof over your head. You're not protected from your enemies because the doors don't lock anymore. The devil can come in and out as he pleases. in and out of your spiritual life. You're not happy when the house is falling down around your ears. So the figure of building fits very beautifully here. Neglect this work, any of us, and we neglect it to our own ruin. our own spiritual ruin. Because, of course, the Word of God is not talking about the buildings in which we live, but about that spiritual house that we build as we live our lives here in the world. A house that's built either on the rock of Jesus Christ, or a house that's built on sand. But you know, Jill, what the most important thing in building is? I think you'll see it if you look at verse 20. There's a lot involved in building. Reading the Word of God, you're certainly building on this foundation, studying the Word of God, worshiping with God's church. We even talk about being edified. And that word just means built up. If you're edified in the worship services, if you're edified by your own attention to the Word of God, then you're being built up, as the Word of God says. And you have to give your attention to those things. But they're not mentioned here in these verses. Jude says, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. That's the most important thing. Again, if you want to think of it in terms of the work that a builder does, there are certain things that the builder just can't do without. And here the Word of God says that there is one thing a Christian can't do without in his work of building, and that's prayer. So, don't be like a carpenter who gets to work in the morning and finds that he left his most important tools at home. And if you or any of us have done that in the past, then we need to give heed to what the Word of God says here. That prayer, praying in the Holy Ghost, not just rattling off some words that we've learned by heart, but praying with all our heart and soul. in the Holy Spirit. It's quite something, that it's possible for a believer not just to pray, but to pray in the Spirit of God. That means, of course, that he has the Spirit in his heart, that he hears in his own soul the testimony of the Spirit, that he's a child of God, and hears that when he prays. But it certainly means that his prayer is real, that it comes from deep inside him. And that when he prays, he's praying of those things that are in his heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. And if you're going to build anything, Jill, any of you, Whatever time you have left here in this world, then you had better be praying in the Holy Ghost, or you're like the man who leaves his trailer full of tools at home when he goes to work in the morning, and who thinks he's going to accomplish anything or build anything without them. But that reference to praying in the Holy Ghost is there too, Jill, as a reminder, a very important reminder, of the fact that there isn't a single one of us who can build anything worthwhile, anything that's going to last, without help. that life of holiness and obedience to God can be built only by the grace, the power, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. And that's true for all of us. Otherwise, we're building, as Paul says in Corinthians, hay and stubble and straw. And that's not going to last the fires of the end times. So you're going to need the presence of God's Spirit. And that means, too, that when you pray, you have to pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit, and for the presence of the Holy Spirit. And I think you see, Jill, that making confession of faith is in many ways just a beginning. And see, too, that what God calls you and me to do here is not easy, not something that we can attend to when we feel like it, and leave aside the rest of the time. It's not a part-time job. You've got to be busy with it when you get up in the morning. And you can't lay your work aside, this work of building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, until you lay your head down in the evening. That's the Word of God here in Jude 20 and 21. And the promise is, Again, I can't help but use the figure of building. The promise is that you'll have a spiritual roof over your head all of your life long. That's what that first part of verse 21 really means. It says, keep yourselves in the love of God. And do that by building. Building especially prayerfully. Then the love of God will be a shelter for you no matter what comes. And I think you know already that what comes is something like the weather that we experienced a few weeks ago, you wouldn't want to be out in it without a roof over your head. You can't even imagine living outdoors in that kind of weather. Only here, of course, It's the love of God that's not just like a roof over our heads, but our shelter in all the storms of life, the disappointments, the times of trouble, times of persecution, which we know are coming. You're going to need a well-built house in those days, or you're going to be like those people who were living out on the streets a few weeks ago in that bad weather. And you don't want to be like that. Keep yourself in the love of God by doing doing faithfully, diligently, prayerfully, daily, what the Word of God calls you to do here. Don't walk out of church and forget, almost as soon as you're outside the doors, the calling that the Word of God gives you here. And I say again, we all need that reminder. Especially because, just like the weather, the times are changing and getting worse. And certainly in the case of what's happening in our world, There is no doubt about it that what in everyday life is called climate change is real, and is going to bring a great deal of suffering and struggle into the lives of God's people. And how important that is this Word of God. Jude describes some of that here, in very, very graphic language. He describes the unbelieving and ungodly people among whom we live, and talks about the kind of trouble that they cause even in the church. And he ends that all in verse 19. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, not having the Spirit. But Jude says, you do. And by the grace and power and presence and work of the Holy Spirit, make sure that you keep yourself in the love of God. That's God's love for us, by the way. That's not our love for Him, but His love for us. That's our shelter. our peace, our safety. It's everything to us that a house and a home is in our everyday life. But when you take to heart the calling of the Word of God here, and work faithfully at this calling, then you're building something, too, that's going to last. Not only have a roof over your head, a spiritual roof, but you'll have something that will last. And that, of course, goes back to what I said at the beginning. Build on the wrong foundation. Don't build. And it all falls apart in the end. You may accomplish a great deal in terms of Earthly success, big bank account, having what you want. But you know, and I know too, that that's just built on sand. It doesn't last. But this does. You build, the Word of God says, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And the reference is to the fact that what a child of God does by faith, building his life on that only foundation, Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, is the only thing that's going to survive the Judgment Day and the coming of Christ. But there's also the promise there, and that's especially wonderful when you get older, there's the promise there that what remains unfinished will, in the pity of our Lord Jesus Christ, be finished, be built up an everlasting house. when He comes again. And the fact of the matter is, and we feel that as we get older, that our best efforts to obey the Word of God in a passage like this don't amount to very much. We build, if we're faithful, all our life long And we have, in the end, only a small beginning. But when Jesus comes again, then in His mercy, He'll finish that. We sing that. The work thou hast for me begun shall by thy grace be fully done. And that's what the Word of God is talking about here in this last part of verse 21. So take this with you, Jill. I remember when you graduated from grade school. I think I remember. I told you to take the verse that I spoke on and write it on a card. and tape it on the dash of your car, and put it on your desk. Do that with these verses too, will you? As a reminder of the fact that having confessed, confessed here in the presence of us all that you have a foundation, the only foundation, Write these verses as a reminder of what your calling is every day that the Lord gives you. Until, in His mercy, He comes as the great giver of eternal life and of that blessedness that we can't even imagine now. And God bless you, all of you. Amen. Heavenly Father, God Almighty, our gracious God and Savior, we thank Thee for what we heard this morning. And we ask, in prayer, for the presence and work and grace of the Holy Spirit that we may, each one of us, be faithful builders, and that what we build may be built on the Rock, Jesus Christ Himself, and not on the sand of men's philosophies, of our own desires, But we ask, Father, that what we build may be the work of Christ Himself, and may endure through Him and through His Spirit to all eternity. Help us to be good builders as parents, as children in school, as young adults in our place and calling, as single persons, whatever we have to do, may we do it as unto the Lord and not unto man. So build in the assurance that when our Savior comes again, He will say, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter Thou into the joy of Thy Lord. In His name we pray, with the pardon of our sins. Amen.