JUDE PART 2
Numbers 16:1-35
Jude 11-23
November 15, 2009
Listen to this sermon HERE
Most churches have at least one member whose purpose is not so much about worship as it is about creating drama. We call these people antagonists. In his book Antagonists in the Church: How to Identify and Deal with Destructive Conflict, author Kenneth C. Haugk defines a church antagonist,
“Antagonists are individuals who, on the basis of nonsubstantive evidence, go out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the person or performance of others. These attacks are selfish in nature, tearing down rather than building up, and are frequently directed against those in a leadership capacity.”
The degree of antagonism can range from major to minor, but in any case it has to be dealt with immediately. There is no reasoning or cooperating with a major antagonist, and they can do irreparable damage to a body of Christ. One of the most damaging aspects of the antagonist is their ability to attract weaker persons to their destructive cause. Haugk is adamant that the ‘recruiting’ has to be nipped in the bud as soon as it is discovered. His reasoning is Biblically sound, “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals”
(1 Corinthians 15:33). It’s true, one bad apple can spoil the barrel.
Jude has spent time informing his readers that they are being lied to. Now, he wants them to truly know the men who are lying to them. He wants to show them the bad apples. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Jude can save a lot of words by tying the bad apples to famous bad men from the Bible; men who conjure up pictures of evil.
Jude says these men are like Cain. Cain brought something bad before God, and tried to pass it off as if it were good (Genesis 4:3-7). His offering was not a first fruit like his brother Abel presented; and yet he tried to imply that it was just as good. Cain was also vilified for the murder of his brother. In Jesus’ time many Rabbi’s had come to believe that while Adam and Eve had brought sin into the world, Cain was to be hated because he had taught the rest of humanity how to sin.
Jude says these men are like Balaam. Balaam had injured the nation of Israel for personal profit (Numbers 22:5-7). We know that the Moabite women had seduced the men of Israel and led them into idolatry. Later we find out the seduction was a plot directed by Balaam (Numbers 25:2, 31:16-19). For the sake of making a fast buck Balaam had used sexuality to injure the people of God.
Jude says these men are like Korah. Korah wanted more power and prestige than he was entitled to (Numbers 16:1-35). Korah wanted control over the priesthood, which would ultimately give him complete control of the people; and he wanted Moses and Aaron out of the picture. Korah was a classic antagonist and God had punished him and his followers for their evil.
Jude draws a word picture that speaks volumes to his readers. ‘These men’ (yes, that is a derogatory term) are trying to take something bad and pretend that it is good; and they hope to teach their evil to the rest of you. These men are seducing you with sexual immorality; and they are doing so for their own profit. These men want to wrestle control from those appointed by God; and usurp it for themselves.
Jude doesn’t stop there; his readers need to thoroughly understand the character of the men who have had such an evil influence over them. To accomplish this Jude makes use of a strong contemporary reference, he uses the Apocryphal book of Enoch. This is an excellent strategy. If I said to you these men are as sadistic as Hannibal Lecter, most of you would know exactly what I mean; the movie “Silence of the Lambs” and its many sequels are well known in contemporary society. If I said these men are as unreasonable and disagreeable as House, most of you would understand the reference to a popular television show, and could identify the character of the men. I’m not implying that either the movie or the TV show are Scripture – not by any stretch. I’m just using references that everyone would understand, even if they weren’t Biblically schooled. That’s what Jude does with Enoch.
While Amos and Joel contained strong apocalyptic messages; Enoch was the contemporary blockbuster of its day. Jude draws references from 1 Enoch 1:9, 67:5-10, and 80:2-8 which would have struck a chord with his readers. These men are blemishes on the love feasts. The word blemish refers to an ugly spot in the ocean, and implies that there is a hidden rock or reef which will sink the unwary traveler. These men will shipwreck your faith. These men are destroying the Lord’s Supper by gorging themselves, then becoming drunk, and quite possibly by engaging in sexual activity.
In the Gospel of John Jesus describes the Good Shepherd (John 10:12-13). Jude says these men are bad shepherds who do not care about feeding their sheep, but only about satisfying their own needs. They are clouds without rain; which is Jude’s way of saying they have promise without substance. Jude says they are Autumn trees without fruit. The Autumn tree has had every last chance to bear fruit; it can’t say that it wasn’t given a fair chance or needed more time. The Autumn tree has proven that it is no good.
Jude calls these men wild waves. He may be referencing Isaiah 57:20 in which sinners are described as beat up by a dangerous and terrifying ocean; then left on the shore as refuse and debris. Next, he says they are wandering stars headed for the blackness. This may be a reference to comets which blaze across the sky and end up in the black emptiness of space. More likely it refers to the planets, which were often called wandering stars. The planets were useless for navigation since they didn’t hold a fixed position in the sky. If you tried to use a planet to find your way you would surely become lost.
Jude’s message is clear. You are not being properly cared for and the promises made to you will lead you astray. Your behavior will not bear fruit. You will end up destroyed by your sin. These men are leading you away from God – turn back to a reliable source now!
Jude is not content to leave his characterization of these men just yet. He takes one more shot at them. They are grumblers, faultfinders, and they only follow their own desires. Sounds a lot like Haugk’s antagonists doesn’t it? In 2000 years very little has changed. The Christian community must be aware there are those who would victimize us for their own sake. While we strive in the spirit of Christian love to embrace every soul for the sake of Christ, we cannot afford to be deceived. If we abandon the truth, if we embrace the lie, we injure ourselves and those we would teach to be like Jesus. We cannot tolerate ‘these men’.
Here is just one current example out of many. In recent days the world of the evolutionist has been rocked. On May 19, 2009, they introduced us to Ida, more formally known as Darwinius Masillae. Slightly larger than a cat, and looking somewhat like a lemur, Ida was hailed as the long awaited missing link. Finally, they had found the bridge between higher primates (such as man) and monkeys. During Ida’s presentation at the New York Museum of Science everyone wore T-shirts proclaiming ‘The Link’.
Then, suddenly, on October 1, 2009, we met Ardi – Ardipithecus Ramidus. Ardi followed an entirely different track of evolutionary development; totally incompatible with Ida’s supposed trek through natural selection. The scientific community immediately raced to Ardi as the ‘true’ missing link. Then, on October 21, 2009, Afradapis Longicristatus was presented. Representing a third and distinctly different species, non-compatible with either Ida or Ardi, we now have the real missing link. Right?
In the natural world, the world of man, the world devoid of God – truth changes daily. Not so with God (Hebrews 6:17). The word of God, and the truth of God, are as stable and reliable today as when they were first given to us. Jude writes to tell us not to buy into the current fad. Instead, with a faith firmly based in Jesus, we should hold our ground on the truth. Whether we’re talking sexual immorality, or Creationism, or the definition of marriage, or life after death, or the sanctity of unborn life – hold your ground.
Jude begins by telling us to remember the prophecies of the Apostles. Interestingly, his wording shows that he does not consider himself to be an Apostle. You don’t have to be highly educated, groomed and trained, and part of the upper echelon to know the truth. Any spirit filled believer with access to Scripture has all the tools they need to accurately discern the truth.
The Apostles apparently knew this day would come, this day of trusting the natural visible world over the supernatural world of God, and they had discussed how to deal with the situation when it arose. Most academics believe that Peter wrote his second Epistle after seeing Jude’s letter (although some think it was the other way around). A third option is that this was such an important topic that Jesus’ little brother Jude had often heard the Apostles debate the issue. In any event, Jude and Peter issue warnings which are almost word for word identical (2 Peter 3:1-3); the worldly men are coming, and they will laugh at you and insult your faith. Hold your ground.
Paul knew about the worldly, or natural, men (1 Corinthians2:14-3:4). They believe we are no different than any other animal. We are entirely subject to our wants and needs. It is only natural that we should delight in excess of food, sleep, and sex. More importantly, these men will look down on the people of faith. They will insult our lack of enlightenment, our adherence to tradition and ancient beliefs, our inability to keep up with the times. Jude says they will draw a line between themselves and us; and ridicule will be heaped on those on the wrong side of the line. Why would they do that? This is big. Jude says, unlike us, they do not have the Holy Spirit. The Spirit makes all the difference. Use the Spirit to hold your ground.
Of course, that’s easy to say; but just how exactly do we go about doing that? Jude says there are four steps. First, you continue to build and mature your faith by being a part of the body. Spending time with other believers is critical to maintaining a Godly perspective, and will reduce the influence of false teachings. Yes, attending church is important. Secondly, nourish your personal faith by using the Holy Spirit to pray. Conversation with God the Father builds conviction in the face of lies and misrepresentations (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18). You want to hear the truth? Go straight to the source – pray. Thirdly, believe in the Second Advent, the Parousia, the return of Christ. All scoffing and lies will fade to tears and excuses when exposed to the Son of Man in all his glory.
Fourth, and this may be the most important way to hold your ground – push back. Physics is a wonderful science. Newton’s third law of motion says that whenever a first body exerts a force on a second body, the second body exerts an equal and opposite force on the first body. When you lay a book on a table the book exerts a downward force. Why doesn’t the table collapse to the ground? Because, the table pushes back on the book. It doesn’t push so hard that it throws the book up in the air; it pushes back just hard enough to hold its ground.
Jude says to push back; not so strongly that you crush and overwhelm, just enough to hold your ground. He says we push back with the love of God, not the wrath of God. Vengeance and judgment belong to God alone – not to us. So, we push back with love. After Major Hassan had killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, he himself was shot down, but not killed. How tempting was it for those who walked up to him, to finish him off? Instead, they bandaged his wounds and administered CPR. He was one of the first to be put in an ambulance. We push back with love, not vengeance.
Jude tells us to show mercy to doubters. Faith will be hard for some to understand, especially if they have been raised in the natural world. We don’t give up on them, we don’t condemn them, and we don’t force them to believe. We bathe them in the mercy of God. Jude might be the originator of the phrase, “Love the Sinner, hate the sin”.
Secondly, he says we snatch those who are in danger from the fire. Here, Jude may be talking about ‘backsliding’. We don’t let those among us who are susceptible to the lies be dragged away. We protect our own.
Thirdly, we fear the false teachers and stay as far from them and their lies as possible. Lepers were kept separate from the community for good reason, their disease was communicable, and could injure the healthy. Even their clothing was to be avoided at all costs. Jude wants us to treat the false teachers like moral and spiritual lepers; avoid them and their clothing – the lies they wrap themselves in to appear enlightened and superior. Push back. Hold your ground.
Has your faith been injured by the ‘truth’ of the natural world? By the embracing of evolution and the complete intolerance of some to consider Creationism? Has your faith been injured by a society that has made sexuality its god, telling you that your children can and must experience a variety of sexual partners – just like any other animal? Has your faith been injured by those who hold themselves up as the most educated, the most intellectual, and the most superior; and consider people of faith to be naïve, uneducated, and superstitious?
Hold your ground. Spend time with other believers. Pray to God the Father. Believe that Jesus will return and set all of the facts straight. Push back against the lies with love. Have mercy on those who are still finding their way. Don’t let a fellow believer be misled. Avoid the false teachers as though they had leprosy. This was sage advice for the first century Christian, and it is just as valuable for us today.
Kenneth C. Haugk, Antagonists in the Church: How to Identify and Deal with Destructive Conflict (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1988), 25-26.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume II: New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 1122.
Carrol D. Osburn, “1 Enoch 80:2-8 (67:5-7) and Jude 12-13”, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 47:2 (April 1985), 296-303.
D. Edmond Hiebert, “Selected Studies from Jude, part 2: An Exposition of Jude 12-16”, Bibliotheca Sacra 142:567 (July – September 1985), 238-249.
Andrew J. Bandstra, “Onward Christian Soldiers – Praying in Love, with Mercy: Preaching on the Epistle of Jude”, Calvin Theological Journal 32:1, (April 1997), 136-139.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume II: New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 1123.
D. Edmond Hiebert, “Selected Studies from Jude, part 2: An Exposition of Jude 12-16”, Bibliotheca Sacra 142:567 (July – September 1985), 238-249.