Episode 207: November 17, 2024 - Jude and Doxology - Part 3 - Remeber and Rebuild

Eternity Church PodCast

A Sunday morning sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. Some movies just have to be watched on the big screen. Big action! Surround-sound score! A small screen at home struggles to immerse us in the story. Home for the holidays in high school, I had a copy of a brand-new blockbuster. Instead of watching it on a cramped old tube TV, I borrowed a projector and screened against the biggest wall in my room. It was epic! Once Henry was old enough, we watched that movie together (alas, no big screen). But the other day, he ran in shouting a trailer for a sequel had just been released! We watched it, on the edge of our seats, drinking in the carefully curated clips from the film coming to a theater near you! Jude’s letter is a lot like a movie trailer. Where Peter and John go to great apocalyptic length to color God’s revelation to a Church in troubled times, Jude captures all the big ideas in rapid-fire shots. If we know the stories of the Torah and are acquainted with the good news of King Jesus, as we read Jude, we are jumping out of our seats with all the cameos! You can hear the audience’s shouts of surprise as different characters appear on the screen. In verses 17-23 we arrive at the climax of Jude’s cinematic letter. He’s exposed the opponents of the Church. He’s anchored our view of one another in Christ and shown us how to pray. Now, as the soundtrack swells, he hooks us. He breaks down the fourth wall and calls us personally to response. We are part of this story. He charges us to build up our faith. Right now, in our church, we have a choice: faith or friction. Will we build up our faith—praying in the Spirit, wait for Christ’s mercy, keeping ourselves in God’s love (Jude 20-21)—or will we slide into judgment, choosing merciless division, behaving like those opposed to Christ? As the screen fades to black and the score goes silent, a few bright words appear: What will you choose?