BUILD YOURSELVES UP

By Dr. Eric C. Stumpf, Senior Pastor

St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church � Munster, IN

21 & 22 November 2009 + Last Sunday in Church Year +

Jude 20-25

       The title of my sermon may sound like a book you'd find in the self-help section of Borders or Target.  Interest in self-help books is at an all time high.  Growth in that market has increased 96% in the last five years according to Micki McGee, author of Self-Help, Inc. The self-help market is estimated to be about $3 billion dollars a year.  One out of two American's will buy a self-help book once in their lifetime. 

      The need for these books is due to the present stresses of life in the work place and the home.  Sculpting one's physical life " think diet books, and one's personality life " think self-esteemed books tries to make the person more marketable, i.e., for desirable as a person and as an employee.  The central message for many books is life is unpredictable, but with help from our book you can master your destiny.

      Sometimes it takes a comedian to have the awareness that something doesn't quite make sense.  The part I really don't understand is if you're looking for self-help, why would you read a book written by somebody else?  That's not self help, that's help. George Carlin.  There is the insight.  The desire for self-help books may be our insight on the struggle we have with our own vision of ourselves.  The desire is real, but the agent of help is not.  The help, not the self-help, we need comes from the source that has proven reliable and true.

      This morning we turn to the Epistle lesson to see how we may build ourselves under God's direction in faith, prayer, and His love and see its important application to our life.

Building Faith

We know little about Jude.  Inspired by God, however, he gives us God's direction in our life. "Build yourselves up in your most holy faith". Just how important is your faith?  If you took all the things in your life:  material things like your home, care, bank accounts, etc., and abstract things like family love, freedom, happiness, etc.;  how would you rank your faith?  Would it be in the top ten?  The top fifty?  Paul tells us:  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Rom 10:9)  It is a matter of eternal life.  All else will pass away.  Cars to feelings of happiness will change in time, but nothing can separate us from the life offered by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith is built by God.  Have you ever seen a building build itself?  You don't see construction companies dump loads of bricks, beams, concrete, etc., on a site and see the materials come together by themselves.  There is a plan to bring these elements into their proper place.  You have skilled workers in many trades working together to build the building.  Likewise God is the architect of our faith.  You are members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone in him you are being built together. (Eph 2:19, 20, 33)  God through the gospel faith establishes our faith., faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Rom 10:19  The Word creates trust in Christ as our Savior.  Faith receives the gifts of God with hands open and trusting.

Building Prayer

      Jude continues "pray in the Holy Spirit."  How is your prayer life?  In a study of Lutherans it found 60% pray daily.  Sounds pretty good until you realize it means 40% don't pray daily.  What kind of praying do you do?  Do you pray before you sit and eat, whether at home or at a fast food shop?  If you can take time to talk about the latest fiasco of the Bears  or what happened in school or what's on TV, you can make time to thank our heavenly Father for giving us the strength to earn our daily bread.  Do you think to pray before you go to bed?  How often do you pray outside the standard format of grace or evening prayers?  Does it take a crisis to move you to pray? In the new Lutheran Study Bible one can read scripture, go to the bottom of the page for clarifying comments which are very helpful and short spiritual prayers to help with your meditation. If you are not satisfied with your prayer life we have good news.

      If you recall when we read in Jude the call to "build yourselves up in your most holy faith", we assured you that we have the God's Word and the work of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this in your life.  God continues to understand we cannot self-help, but God will help us. Pray for an increase of faith.  Generally in our prayers  we pray for things we want : food, health, relief from problems , but we can also pray for spiritual gifts, especially faith.  Paul wrote "the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us. (Rom 8:26-27) The Lord is our helper and guide.  With the Spirit we can pray audaciously, we can ask God without hesitation to increase our faith.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:64)  Pray for faith.

 Building in Love

      Again Jude wrote "keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude again follows the construct, not of self-help, assuming we have the wherewithal to call up love to God and our fellow man which is acceptable to God. No, Jude knows we need help, so help comes to us in Jesus Christ.  Our understanding of love was first experience and taught in the family.  Under normal conditions we learned love has many facets as the family talked to us, fed us, cared for us, guided us, even disciplined us so we might grow properly.  Where there is anger, love is displaced, and mercy if far away.  God's forgiving and rescuing force comes through the genuine sacrificial love and mercy of the Savior.  We not only have a good picture and model for it, but because of our baptism we are in Christ that love and mercy is at work in us.

      How do we follow Jude's injunction to build faith, prayer, and love?  The surest way is not through self-help or self-determination or strength of will.  Let me refer you to a prayer you have often heard and said "Amen" to, "Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning.  Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart"  The word brings God's best gifts into our life , faith, prayer, love,  so our lives might be made strong in the Lord and in his salvation.  Amen.

SDG