Persevering In God's Love

Preached September 27, 2026 - Morning Sermon
Text: Jude 1, 20-25
Heritage Baptist Church

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Sermon Description

Jude had set out to write of the common salvation, then found it needful to warn a church already hosting men who had crept in and were separating the saints from the apostles' doctrine. The remedy is to keep ourselves in the love of God, and that keeping rests on God's prior work: we have been sanctified once for all, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. We do not build on our own faith. We build together on the faith once delivered, the apostolic word, with Christ the cornerstone, until the gathered church grows into a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in line with that Word, so that God's love satisfies the soul, our decisions bend toward the kingdom, and we are not restless for a freedom that is only license. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life keeps us from Demas's bargain with this present world, and it sends us, with compassion and with fear, to steady the doubting and to pull others out of the fire.

Scripture

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. 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 Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
- Jude 1, 20-25

Reflection Questions

1. What does Jude mean by "the most holy faith," and how does this faith affect the way the church builds together?
2. What does "praying in the Holy Ghost" look like?
3. How does Jude's command to "look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" help believers persevere in God's love?

Adapted from the sermon preached September 27, 2026 by Pastor Mike Stewart.

For further reading: Jude 1, 20-25; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 6:17-18; John 15:9-10; Deuteronomy 8:2-3; Colossians 1:12-13; 1689 Confession, 17.1-2.

Mike Stewart, Pastor | Heritage Baptist Church

Mike was born and raised in central Mississippi. After graduating from Mississippi State in 1986, God changed his course of direction with a deep conviction of sin and desire to follow Christ. He then met his wife, Peggy, while attending church in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1998, he was ordained to the ministry in Bel Air, Maryland, and ultimately moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to begin his first pastorate. In 2005, Heritage was formed and called him to be her founding pastor.