Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Can You Walk Away From the Faith? | New Testament | Jude

Episode Date: February 28, 2023

Are you secure in your faith in Jesus? Can someone ever truly leave the faith? In today's episode, Tanya uses Jude to talk through your security in Jesus. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Jude

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. So today is your one and only chance to hear from us on the Book of Jude. It's really short, only 25 verses long, I think. And so we've packed it all into one episode. I don't know if Anilin will even give it a mention in the newsletter. We'll just have to wait and see.

So here we go. I titled this episode, Hey Jude. So what about that friend that just completely walked? away from their faith. I've been around just long enough to be on the receiving end of several conversations that begin like this. I just don't know what to do. My friend from camp who was totally on fire for Jesus just completely abandoned the faith. And I learned so much from her. I'm so confused about what to believe right now. Now you can go back and fill in the blank with camp, ministry, church, youth group. Maybe it's even an author you read or a teacher you've enjoyed.

when someone you know renounces their faith, it unravels you emotionally and mentally. It has the potential to unravel you spiritually as well, and that's one of the things Jude was writing about in his very short letter. When Jude says, but you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ who said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people devoid of the spirit. Well, there Jude is reminding us that the surprise factor, while it might be real, shouldn't shock us into fear or unbelief. While it is a surprise to us, it is not a surprise to God. And he even warned us about it so we could be prepared.

I like the way Jude calls them Beloved. He's writing in a pastoral way to people who have been learning from or alongside people whose faith hasn't proven genuine. So let's dig in and see what we can learn from Jude about how to deal with our own emotions when we face this kind of. of situation. First, why does it happen? Well, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is responsible for regenerating a believer into a life of faith. Someone else is not responsible for your faith. You are not even responsible for your faith. Only the Lord can open your eyes to the wonder of his mercy and grace. If you're a follower of Jesus, it's because of him. No matter who told you or who taught you or who led you, only God can turn your heart toward him.

him. Now we are responsible for what we do in our faith, such as bear fruit, grow up into maturity, and persevere. It's a mutual responsibility where we work with God to grow into his likeness, and he empowers and enables us to do that, yet we still have to participate. So while you shouldn't question whether or not you're secure in Christ, because someone you loved walked away, you should dig into why you are secure and no more of who Jesus is, no more of why he died for you. Okay, this leads to the next question. Can I trust anyone? Should I?

Well, yes is the answer to both questions. When I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I had a pastor that walked to the front of the church with our elder team and told us he was living in, quote, moral failure, a.k.a. Code for having an affair. I was shocked, angry, and hurt. I wanted to do something, starting with getting rid of that Bible where I was writing his sermon notes. Now, over time, I've grown some perspective on that situation. I think the assumptions I made about all pastors were immature. I think the spiritual relationship I had with my own pastor was immature. Unraveling both of those. Now, when I found out what he was doing, I immediately jumped to the conclusion. that all pastors were hiding big skeletons in their closet.

What is more likely true is that all pastors are flawed by sin just like us, and yet most are repentant and growing instead of harboring some deep and dirty secret. And the reason I probably felt so deeply shocked and wounded was because I placed too much responsibility on that pastor and his dynamic personality and speaking style, entertain me and to teach me, I made him something in my head that he could not be. Now, as from my Bible and sermon notes and the things he taught, well, God used even a donkey and a diviner named Balaam to speak truth in the Old Testament. God can use whoever, whatever, whenever to reveal himself. Now, my feelings and doubts for all of what went down

ultimately needed to find their rest in God and their truth in God. And then what about the next one? Should we trust moving forward? Can we trust other people? Yes, in fact, it's essential that we do it because it's our job to build one another up. So how do we move forward? Oh, I have this dear friend.

And she says, I don't read them until they're dead because then they can't change their minds. Now, she's talking about biblical commentators, but I chuckle at this point, and I think there's some truth here. We should be aware of who and what we're taking in. Not everything is good for our hearts. I don't read positive affirmations, for example,

written or quoted by Buddha or other famous spiritual teachers that aren't professing Christians because I don't have a lot of space in my head, and I don't want to crowd out what God says is true and what might just be good or positive. There's also a case here for real biblical literacy. It's good to have great things. teachers and authors we go to for encouragement or good teaching. I often turn to Tim Keller in the Bible project to get an overview or a perspective, but none of these should replace the position the Bible holds in my life. We need to be able to read it and understand it so we can

test everything else against it. And we aren't off the hook if we're not seminary professors or pastors either. We are responsible for our own biblical literacy and the literacy of others. We also need to turn to our believers, to other believers for encouragement and building up, and we need to be there to do the same for them. Jude provides the wisdom for the problem he laid out earlier when he says, But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt.

save others by snatching them out of the fire, to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. All of Jude's words are incredibly active. We must be actively involved in faith communities that are grounded in God's word. His word with the power of the Holy Spirit is how we know who God is, how we know what is true. just as we would never attempt to make a wedding cake without a recipe and the right pans, we can't try to understand who God is and teach others about Him without His Word. We can't truly understand mercy until we receive His mercy. We can't know who we are without His Holy Spirit. And yet, all of this rests on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

who went to the cross and said, It is finished. Jude ends his letter in one of the most beautiful doxologies of the whole New Testament, and herein we find just what we need to face these kinds of challenges. Jude says, now to him, meaning Jesus Christ, who was able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless

before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus, Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time now and forever, Amen. Just asking the question, Lord, am I yours? Is one way we know who we love? When we turn our questions and doubts to our God, not only are we asking for answers, but we are also seeking him for affirmation.

That is one of the surest ways to know you are his child. that you're wanting to find yourself first and foremost in him. Before you forget, sign up for the brand new TMBT newsletter. Hit the link in the show notes, and you'll get an email every Wednesday that will help you beat the midweek slump and go deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.