How to Live in Advent

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Scripture:


Jude 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.


Observation:


Jude now shifts the attention from the false teachers to the readers of his letter. These are the beloved in Christ. They are to continually grow in their spiritual lives and this is done in three ways: 


  1. Pray in the Holy Spirit — Bede tells us, “We pray in the Holy Spirit when we are moved by divine inspiration to ask for heavenly help, so that we may receive the good things which we cannot obtain on our own” (On Jude). The Holy Spirit here is connected to our holy faith that is built up in prayer. 


  1. Keep yourselves in the love of God. This is participation in the divine nature of God, or fellowship with God on an on-going basis. We are to remain in this deep fellowship with God, and in this way, we remain in God’s love, and become transmitters of that love to others. 


  1. Jesus is merciful and because He is merciful, we show mercy. John Wesley identifies this mercy as hope. As we mentioned before, the place of mercy in Jude is where other authors use the word grace. In grace-filled mercy, Jesus provides us with eternal life. As a result we live in grace-filled mercy, reaching out to others who may be headed toward eternal punishment. 


Jude has consistently written in groups of three, and here he affirms the Triune God and the way in which God works in and through the life of a believer. This is to be continuous and on-going spiritual growth and development, and only in this way are we saved from becoming like the false teachers. 


Application:


The Holy Spirit builds up our faith. The Father keeps us in His love. Jesus brings us hope by saving us through his grace. Faith, Love, and Hope!


Yesterday was the first Sunday of advent in this year, 2020. This is the week where we focus on Hope. Advent is a season in which we anticipate the arrival of our Lord, and historically this has been the awaiting of the second coming of Christ. When you read the letters written to the early church, they were constantly living in the season of advent. They were convinced that Jesus’ return was immanent. Who would have imagined that 2000 years later, we were still awaiting that return, but that is because we do not understand God’s timing. 


Jude’s words are a roadmap for those of us living in the season of advent. As God’s beloved children, we are to continually anticipate the arrival of the Messiah, always prepared for His return. The instructions are clear, for in the meantime, we are to pray in the Holy Spirit, participate in the holy love of God, and share in Jesus’ mercy. 


Hope is what we experience because of the grace and mercy of Christ. Jude says that because we have experienced this mercy we are filled with compassion toward others who may be burned by the fire. With the same urgency that we would rescue someone from a burning house, we are to rescue those who are lost in sin. This is what hope is all about, pointing people in the direction of Jesus Christ and saving them from destruction. 


We have been given a most unusual gift this advent season, and that is, an atypical Christmas. We won’t be busy with a lot of parties or Christmas programs, as we typically have been. Depending on where you are in the world, you may be at home, only visiting with your nuclear family. What if we looked upon this as a gift from God, one in which we take time to evaluate whether we are living in advent the way we should. 


To live in advent is to commit to continuous and on-going spiritual growth, in anticipation of the return of Christ. This advent lets commit to slowing down and praying in the Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and receiving and showing mercy. 


Prayer:


Lord, I pray that this year, this advent season, will be one in which I know You more than ever before. Amen. 

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