Contending for the Faith Ii

[Music/Choir] [Speaker 2] Church and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home front. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] We are so glad to call before you. Lord, we appreciate You. We give You all the glory, we give You all the praise. We exalt and bless Your holy name. Thank You because You are here again, Lord. We are here again, Lord, before the throne of grace, daddy. We give You all the glory, we give You all the praise, we give You all the honor because there is abundance of Your word this day. We have never experienced drought of Your word. We have never experienced scarcity of Your word this way. Oh, thank You for Your word. Ever present, thank You Lord. We appreciate You. We bless You. We give You all the glory. Thank You, thank You, thank You. Oh, Father, we are here again. At the throne, we are here again. We are here again because You are here before we came. Lord, we pray that You take absolute control. Lord, we are here again to learn. We are here again to receive. We are here again, Lord. We pray that Your word will not be scarce. You will speak to us again. You will build us again. You will direct us again. You will lead us again. Father, take control. Lord, we are here again. Oh, Holy Ghost, we are here again. Come and take control everywhere. We are here again. We are here again. Come, Father, we are here again. Holy Ghost, come and take control. Amen. We are here again. We are here again. Come, Father, we are here again. Holy Ghost, come and take control. Amen. We are here again. We are here. We are here again. Hey, Father, we are here again. Holy Ghost, come and take control. Amen. We are here again. Daddy, we are here again. Oh, Holy Ghost, we are here again. Father, we are here again. Holy Ghost, come and take control. Amen. Take glory, Father. Take glory, Son. Take glory, Holy Ghost, now forever. Hallelujah. Take glory, Father. Take glory, Son. Take glory, Holy Ghost, now forever. Hallelujah. Take glory, Father. Take glory, Son. Take glory, Holy Ghost, now forever. Hallelujah. Take glory, Father. Take glory, Son. Take glory, Holy Ghost, now forever. Our Father in heaven, we glorify Your name. We bow down before You. Our Father in heaven, we glorify Your holy name. We bow down before You. Our Father in heaven, we glorify Your holy name. We bow down before You. Our Father and our God, we want to say thank You. Since the year began, to every time we gathered, oh, You are ever present. Oh, to every time we ask for Your word, You speak to us. Daddy, we have come to say thank You. For Your word, thank You. Oh, for Your presence, thank You. For the unusual things You are doing in our midst, thank You. Oh, thank You because we know You are always mighty in our midst. Daddy, we want to say thank You. And we also want to say thank You for today, because we know You are here to do as usual. You are here to speak Your word. You are here to bless every life. You are here to do what only You can do. We are saying thank You. Blessed be Your name. Lord, we look up unto You again, as we thank You, that You will do the unusual in the name of Jesus Christ. You will speak Your word to every heart, both on ground and online in the name of Jesus Christ. You will send Your word, and Your word will heal today. Your word will deliver. Your word will set free. Your word will bring about revival in the name of Jesus Christ. Your word will quicken every dying heart in the name of Jesus Christ. Your word will release, Your word will wake up every sleeping giant in the name of Jesus Christ. And at the end of everything, Your name only will be glorified in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, precious daddy. We silence every flesh in the name of Jesus Christ. We say, Lord, that You will increase in our midst and take all the glory. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. Praise the Lord. Let's have our seat in His presence. Firstly, I want to appreciate the name of the Lord for giving us grace to be here again. I want to appreciate Him because He is the owner of the word. We are just a vessel through which the word comes out. I want to appreciate Him because we know to every time we gather, God speaks His word, and we believe that He's going to speak His word again in the name of Jesus Christ. And I also want to appreciate God for the leadership of this fellowship for giving us the privilege to speak His word, and I trust God that God will continue to bless the leadership, will continue to increase the leadership in the name of Jesus Christ. And I also want to welcome everyone of us that are here seated and everyone online. We trust God that as we journey into His word this evening, the Lord will bless us and every desire of our heart, the Lord will meet in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus. Last week, we looked at contending for the faith. Mummy was here teaching us. It was a timely message. It was a powerful message. And as she was speaking, the word kept ringing that Godwin, because before the message she told me that I'll be handling today and that is the word, that is the word. So, also we are going to be looking at today contending for the faith part two. Contending for the faith part two. And what are we going to be doing? We are going to look at the highlight of last week for some of us that were not here last week and for some of us that may probably be online that was not online last week. We are going to look at the highlight of last week. Number two, we are also going to be looking at men that contend for the faith in the Bible. Men that preserved this faith and hand it over to us according to Jude 1, verse 4. We are going to be look at them. We are going to look at the uniqueness of these men, and that is what we are going to be look at majorly after looking at the highlight of last week. The uniqueness of these men. I said one of the unique things about these men is that they were diligent. They never joke with their faith. They were diligent with it. They were able to hand it over to us. They were diligent. If they are lazy, we won't have the faith today. They were diligent with it. They were able to hand it over to us. I said they were committed to contend for this faith. They were serious about their life in Christ and they are serious about their work. They have been conscious about their work with the Lord. They were never polluted. And that is the reason we are enjoying what they have done today. Mummy said something last week. She said one of the things she said was this faith had been handed over to us, that by the time we too will believe it, we'll be able to hand it over to the next generation if Jesus tarried. These men of faith were able to hand it over to us. And the question is what are we doing with it? If we are living like them, are we going to have something to hand over to the next generation? The Lord will help us as we journey into His word in the name of Jesus Christ. Contending for the faith. Let's quickly open our Bible to the book of Jude. I want us to look at something critically in the book of Jude. It is important like I said earlier, this message is a timely message because if you look at the church today, it is like we are no longer contending for the faith. It is like we are relaxing. We are okay with the way we are. And God is calling our attention to it that we are relaxing, that we are no longer contending. Many are losing out. Love of many are fading. The Bible says at the end time the love of many will wax cold. And God is calling our attention to it again. God is bringing it back for our remembrance that there is need for us to wake up. There is need for us, if we have faint or fainted in contending, there is need for us to wake up to continue to contend because we are in the world of warfare. Praise the Lord. Mummy said it last week that we are to strive to retain the faith. And in doing this, we must continue in warfare. We must fight the good fight of faith because there are so many principalities and power contending for this faith. There are so many things around us contending, distracting, misinterpreting the word of God in our hearts. And there is need for us never to sleep. There is need for us never to relax. We must continue to contend. And when I was meditating, one of the thing that came to me that it is not enough to be born again. Yeah, thank God that the requirement for us to stay in Christ is to be born again, to accept the blood. But there is need for us to keep working. There is need for us to keep contending, to retain the faith. Praise the Lord. If we look at Matthew chapter 24, it was this afternoon I got this scripture, and this scripture came. 24 verse 4. Let's open our Bible before we look at Jude. Matthew 24. Let me quickly look at there is something there that caught my attention. 24 verse starting from verse 4. The Bible says, "And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Take heed.'" That means He knew that some will not take heed. He knew that some will be playing. He knew that some will relax. And He told the disciples, He said, "Take heed that no man deceive you." It's a serious statement that in this end time, false prophet will be out there, false teachers will be there rebranding the word, which we're going to see it in Jude. We're going to see it in second Peter. We're going to see it in Philippian. We're going to go there. And Jesus Christ is telling the apostle, He said, "Take heed, let no man deceive you. Take heed, let no Satan deceive you." Praise the Lord. And God is reminding us this evening again that we need to take heed. We need to take heed. We need to take heed that no man deceive us. I pray no man will deceive us in the name of Jesus Christ. "For many shall come in my name." Are we not seeing that in church today? "Many shall come in my name saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many." And I know the people Jesus Christ was talking about here was not the unbeliever. Talking to the disciples and He's telling many will be deceived. Why? You are relenting. You are not contending. The day you stop contending, that's the day you start being deceived. We need to rise. We need to watch. We need to pray according to James. We need to rise. We need to watch. We need to pray continuously. We need to contend. We need to stand where we need to stand. We need to speak where we need to speak. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Verse 6 said, "And ye shall hear of wars, rumors of wars and other." Let's move forward. Let's move forward. Verse 9, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall be killed and ye shall be hated of all nation." Why? "For my name's sake." What is the devil's trying to do? To afflict the believers, to hate the believer, to separate them so that they can see that since the world is not accepting me, let me rethink. Let me begin to adjust to their ways of life. Maybe I will be accepted in the community. But God is saying take heed. Take heed. And that is what we're going to be looking at. I have few minute before I hand over to daddy. But I want us to open our heart. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. Let's go back to Jude, that is where our text, that's where we take our text from. Jude. Just a one chapter of the Bible. Let's look at this man, Jude. Say, "Jude, the servant of Jesus and the brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called." If you look at this man called Jude very well, do you know that Jude was actually the brother of Jesus? Shared the same womb with Jesus. The same breast with Jesus. I expect this man to come and say, "I am Jude, the brother of Jesus." I saw a man that contended for faith. I saw a man of humility from that verse 1. A man that is humble to see himself, though he shared the same womb with Jesus, to see himself as a servant of Jesus. And I look at the church today. The reason why the enemy is winning the winning the battle in some aspect is the fact that we are so arrogant to recognize that we are called into the assignment of God, not to celebrate who we are, the position we have achieved or whatever our achievement may be. And devil is using that to gain our attention away from the truth. I saw a man that never see himself equal with Jesus. I saw a man that believe that despite the fact he shared the same womb with Jesus, he needs to humble himself. He needs to still contend for the faith. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I believe you are getting what I am trying to pass across this evening. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, verse 3, "when I gave all diligence," note please underline that, we're still going to speak on that. "When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you." It may not be convenient for him, but it was needful for me to write unto you. Brethren, have you ever seen it being needful to go to that labor of yours to speak the word? Have you ever seen it needful to see people around you? Have you ever seen it needful to just wake up one day and say, "No, I'm going to intercede on my knee for souls?" Have you ever seen it needful to say, "Today I'm carrying my Bible, I'm going out there to evangelize the truth?" Have you ever seen it needful that when all are against the word of God, I said, "For me, I'm going to stand?" Have you ever seen it needful to write for the next generation? What are you writing for the next generation to read if Jesus tarry? This man said, "I see needful for me to write." Needful for me to write. In this place, I saw a diligent man. I saw a man full of humility. I saw a man that have passion for God. I saw a man that want to preserve the truth. I saw a man that want to hand it over the faith to the next generation and today, we can see it because he truly hand it over to us and here we are, we are reading his account. If he fail to write, we are not going to have anything to read today. What are you doing? Are you truly contending for the faith? Are you truly contending for the faith? Or you are one leg in, one leg out? If this man is one leg in, one leg out, we are not going to be reading it account today. He said, "I give all diligence to write." Though it is one chapter. Although it is 25 verses, but he wrote, reminding us that there is need, there is need, there is need for us to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Let me read it again verse 3. "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," not sitting down doing nothing, "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." You know what the verse 4 says? I've read verse 4 earlier. Called there are men that are in church, their mission is to deceive, and he's writing to remind us that we need to be watchful. We need to earnestly contend. There's nothing we can do about it. The Bible have said it, Jesus Christ has said it, that they are going to be there. And He also warn us in verse 4. Matthew chapter 24. That there is need for us to take heed and he's reminding us again that there is need for us to earnestly. It may not be easy, it may not be convenient. Issues around you may not warrant, but there is need for us to wake up at this point in time to contend for this faith. There is need for us to always go on our knee to intercede. There is need for us to get this word of God day and night. There is need for us to go all out there to proclaim the truth for the world to hear. The Lord will help us in the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord will help us. Let's look at this second man, Peter. Peter, when I read his account, despite the fact he see that he is about to die, he still see it needful to write. That what touched me. To call, put us into remembrance of this truth. The man that is seeing death like this, see himself dying, but in his dying state, he still need to write to the believer to record their attention that in this end time, those men they've crept in and their desire, their mission is to take the faith away from us. And he called our attention again and saying, let's open our Bible to second Peter chapter 1, verse 12. Starting from verse 12 to 14. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. "Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must be put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me." Do you know the tabernacle is trying to say? He knows that very soon he's going to die. Very soon he's going to depart. But there is still need for me before that happen to put you into remembrance, to call our attention to this truth, to stir us up, to let us know that there is need for us to continue to work in Him. When I read that scripture, I said wow. Wow. Wow. So many are times we get to hospital day doctor give us report, that report only is enough to kill some Christians and they forget everything about the work of God and they concentrate on that doctor report. But this man is saying, this man is saying, "Wherefore, I will not be negligent." I see in this scripture, I see this man, a man that labor to preserve this faith that we are talking about. I see a man that will not be negligent, that will not be lazy in proclaiming the word of God. I saw a diligent man from this scripture, though he knows very soon this tabernacle is going to be taken away. But he said he will not be negligent, not to put us into remembrance. Lord, help us. Sincerely, if God is to help us, I know we are helpless. Too many things taking our attention, so many things taking our attention, what to eat, what to wear, how to make money. Ah! I want us to cry to God. You know yourself, you know what is going on with you right now, I know what is going on with me. I got to a point I was looking at this message in my office, I was merely shedding tears. I was just controlling myself so that people will not enter. I was praying that God, this kind of message me to come and preach. Lord, and I was like God, You first must first help me. You first help me. Lord, help me. Help me. Help me. Deliver me from all these thing that are taking my attention from You. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. I must not fail. Peter never fail, Paul never fail. They know that they are dying, but they are still contending. Lord, here I am, help me. I cannot help myself. Is somebody praying? I cannot help myself. I need Your help. I need Your help. I need Your help. Ah! Oh, I am sleeping. I know I need to wake up to continue to contend. Lord, help me. Help me. Help me. Help me from everything that have easily besetting me. Help me from all those things that are defining my help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. I cannot do without You, daddy. I cannot do without You. I cannot do without You. Help me, Lord. I cannot do without You. I cannot do without You. I cannot do without You. Help me, Lord. Ah! I want you to cry from the depth of your heart this evening. Like I said, you know what is wrong with you, I know, I know mine. Cry to God. Lord, help me. Deliver me from all these thing that are distracting me. Deliver me, deliver me, help me. I want ah! I want to be strong in You. I want to continue to contend. I don't want to fade away. I don't want to faint. Lord, help me. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Revive me. Oh, Lord, revive me. Strengthen my feebleness. Ah! My knees have been feebles. Lord, strengthen me again. Strengthen my inner man. Oh, strengthen my inner man. Lord, I don't want to be decorating my outward look and my inner man be perforated. Lord, help me. Help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. I cannot help myself at this point in time. I cannot help myself. I come to You. I come to You. My Father, have mercy on me and help me. Give me strength to continue to contend. Empower me to continue to contend. Empower me, Lord, empower me, Lord in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. In the name of Jesus. Lord, help Your church. I want you to pray for the church of God. Hey, one of the ways we can contend effectively is to be in unity and the devil is contending against that, contending against that, dividing the church. Lord, help Your church in the name of Jesus Christ. Help us, Lord. Help us, Lord. As I close the meeting, I just want us, I don't know whether you are familiar with this song, because many times we are talking about issues, many times we look beyond ourselves. We are looking at some other people. And honestly, the matter for me is how am I contending in my own individual level. I mean, for example, in my workplace, how am I representing Jesus? As I relate with my students, how am I representing Jesus? As you relate with your lecturers, how are you representing Jesus? As you relate with your colleagues, how are you representing Jesus? What is the level of your making sure that no, that which was delivered to us is preserved. So, it is more, and don't be thinking of some, don't think afar. Look at it as your personal, like that's how the message came more to me. No, how am I, am I bright? Am I doing something about the corner where I am? And the song that was just going through my heart is the song I want to sing. I don't know whether you are familiar with the song. It says, Do not wait until some field of greatness you may do. Do not wait to shed your light afar. Rather to the many duties ever near you now be true. Brighten that corner where you are. Brighten the corner where you are. Brighten the corner where you are. Brighten the corner where you are. Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar. Brighten that corner where you are. That small place where you are. That small place. Don't look at some big things. Think about your small corner. Maybe you are just a student in the hostel. What are you doing about that small space? How are you contending? Maybe you are just a child at home. How are you content, how are you making sure? You know, that's how you should look at this matter. How does it come to me as an individual? Am I bright? Am I doing something about the corner where I am? Faithfulness in that corner where you are. And my prayer is that that corner, you know, that corner where you are, Joseph was in one small corner and look at how that corner was brightened. He was just a slave boy. He didn't know that the story will even be written. He was just living his life. In that corner as a houseboy, he was making sure he was not defiled by Potiphar's wife. He was trying to be faithful to the money that was in his hand. How are you bright, that's that's the way the message came to me. What are you doing about your own corner? Leave the big things, think about your small corner. That small place where you are. Almighty God, we thank You for this evening. We are particularly grateful unto You. Lord, calling our attention again to the need to contend for the faith. The need to brighten that corner where we are. The need to properly represent You. Lord, our God, we just pray this evening for our brethren online connecting with us and for us who are here physically. Lord, we just pray. Quicken our heart again in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord God, those quiet areas of our life where we are we are missing the we are missing the mark. Small, quiet areas. A little lie, a little compromise, a little unfaithfulness. Little, little, little things here and there. Lord, quicken our hearts again in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, bring a fresh fire, a fresh burning, a fresh oh, God, Lord, work within our soul in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, grant us, oh, Lord, that in our individual corner we'll be find faithful. Lord, in that our individual corners here and there, may we be found faithful in the name of Jesus Christ. Grant us strength, strength within, strength in our inner man, not to fail in our corners in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, eternal Father. And for Your son, oh, God, that brought the word to us this evening, Lord, we are just praying more of You, more of You in his life, more of Your hand upon him in the name of Jesus Christ. And as we go, oh, Lord, beyond his voice, help us to keep hearing Your voice on this matter in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, eternal Father. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Can we share the grace together? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen. [Speaker 3] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class, every Monday 5 p.m., Adolescent and Singles' Club, every first Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. Marriage forum, second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. Family life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ije road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all. Amen.