Jump Start # 3688

Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

I recently taught the book of Jude on a Tuesday. We walked through the four single chapter books of the N.T. for our series of studies. I walked away from that study with a great appreciation for Jude. Before, I’d looked at that book as being blunt and negative. But, not now. Stay the course. Stay in your lane, ’bro. And, help those who are leaning the other way. That’s what Jude is about.

Jude is not vague. Running through the horror stories of O.T. rebellion and God’s wrath upon such, he sets the tone for those who were wanting to tamper with God’s word. He calls them worldly, ungodly, arrogant, fault finders and the cause of trouble and division. They were likened to clouds without water and autumn trees without fruit—useless. They were not helpful. They were not bringing people closer to the Lord.

Our verse, early in this letter, states that they were turning the grace of God into licentiousness. Licentiousness—that’s a Bible word. One doesn’t hear that word out in the community. It means excess and without restraint. Say anything, and we witness that these days. Unfiltered. Obscene. Blasphemous. In the movies. In the songs. In conversations. Immodest—from pop singers, to actors on the screen. No restraints. No limits. No stopping.

In Jude’s days, false teachers were opening the doors to immoral behavior using the idea of grace as a green light for anything. Do what you want, God’s grace will cover you. Don’t have to be pure. Don’t have to be modest. Don’t have to be godly. Don’t have to righteous. The gift of grace will take care of that.

One would think that these false teachers had never read Romans 6—where Paul says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” His answer was a loud, NO. Time has passed. And, these false teachers were confusing and dividing brethren.

Grace is a wonderful gift from God. The Lord doesn’t have to save us. He doesn’t owe that to us. Saying, before one does something wrong, “God will forgive me,” is abusing grace and not understanding God. And, today, the abuse of grace continues. Hiding behind grace, there are those who are wanting the church to do things that are not found in the Bible. Some are saying that grace forgives us even before we sin. If that is true, then one wouldn’t need to repent. If I’m forgiven ahead of time, the sin isn’t there. There is nothing to repent of if I am already forgiven in advance. Crazy things being said about grace.

Some thoughts for us:

First, the grace of God ought to pull us closer to the Lord, not further away. That’s what we find in Titus. “The grace of God as appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and t live sensibly, righteously and godly” (Titus 2:11-12a).

The false teachers in the days of Jude did not understand grace. They were in no position to be teaching others. Their misunderstanding was only making things worse. Grace is a gift of Heaven. Grace ought to lead us to being thankful, holy and walk closer to our Lord. Turning grace into licentiousness, shows that they didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. And, neither do some today.

Second, it was through Jesus that grace was made possible. Had it not been for Jesus, there would have been no forgiveness, reconciliation or justification. We would remain enemies of God. Yet, our verse not only identifies that the false teachers were turning grace into licentiousness, but they were denying Jesus. Without Jesus there is no grace. Without Jesus, there is no Heaven. The idea that any of the brethren would give these corrupt teachers a second of their time is beyond me. These false teachers didn’t understand the concept of discipleship or righteousness. They were using God to cover for immoral and excessive hearts that were not serious about following the Lord.

It was the death of Jesus that allowed grace to be possible.

Third, God had little patience for these false teachers. Jude, as short as it is, runs through several powerful O.T. examples of rebellion. Cain. Korah. Balaam. Faithless Israel. Disobedient angels. All faced the judgment of God. Using an unknown prophecy from Enoch, Jude reminds the faithful that God will bring judgment upon the ungodly on that great day.

No rebel got away with his wicked deeds. Didn’t happen in the O.T. Didn’t happen in Jude’s days. Won’t happen in our time. No one can get around the Lord. Reading Jude one reaches the conclusion, why would I give these false teachers a second of my time. They are wrong. They are not helpful. They will be judged by the Lord.

And, for us, why do we spend so much time chasing the rabbits of error on social media? What will we do once we catch one of those rabbits? You will not be brought closer to the Lord in the pursuit of wrong. You will not build a better character, listening to what is not right.

Turning the grace of God…something to think about.

Roger

Jump Start # 3686

1 Samuel 16:11 “And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are these all the children?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest and behold, he is tending the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’”

Our verse today is God’s introduction of David to us. We do not find him in a classroom, busy studying advanced classes. We do not find him on the battlefields, fighting for the glory of the Lord. Instead, David is out watching sheep. The youngest of a nothing family. He was not even brought in when the prophet wanted to see all the sons. No one would have thought that he’d be the one. Young and watching sheep, doesn’t seem like the credentials for someone who is going to run a nation. What did he know about kingdoms? Would he bankrupt the nation buying stuff for himself? What did he know about military insights and diplomacy with other nations? Why would God pick a kid to govern his people? Wasn’t there anyone else? Wasn’t there any one more qualified?

Some things gradually take place that puts David in the palace. His skill on the harp allowed him to sit before King Saul. That puts him in the palace where he sees the day to day operations of a kingdom. His humble heart allowed the Lord to guide him and lead him to wisdom that would make a difference. Many of he Psalms appear to have been written during these shepherd years of David. Pulling from the night skies, the mountains, the water, David seemed to have a great faith in the Lord.

And, that becomes a great lesson for us:

First, we may not give someone much attention because of their age. Too young, we think. God didn’t see that with David. We may think a person has too little experience. God didn’t with David. Watching sheep is not the same as running a kingdom. Yet, within that young heart, was the insight and wisdom to make the right decisions.

Second, David didn’t waste his time while out in the fields watching sheep. Fewer things could be more boring than watching lazy sheep eat grass all day. No cell phone. No video games. No tablet to watch movies. The hours must have crept like years. Yet, the choices of young David made all the difference. Learning to play that harp would one day put him in the palace. The courage to fight the lion gave him the confidence to fight the giant. He understood that his strength and his victory was not in himself but in the Lord.

Out in the fields watching sheep, David may have dreamed of one day, owning his own house and having his own flocks. But to think that he believed that he would be the king of Israel, is really a stretch. Yet, what he did during those shepherd years prepared his heart and life to serve the Lord.

And, that’s a thought for us. A dumb summer job. A starter job. The boring job of mowing the yard. The thankless job of cleaning your room. No one cares, we think. It doesn’t matter, we tell ourselves. Yet, the choices we make can shape our hearts for the person we will be in twenty years.

Third, there was no one in David’s family that thought he’d be chosen one day to be the king of Israel. Certainly his brothers didn’t think he would. His own father seems surprised that Samuel wants the youngest son to be brought in from watching the sheep. Why him? He’s nothing special.

Our own families can be our biggest discouragement. One must know what they are capable of and plow ahead, even when family tries to talk you out of such things. Our young men must not be discouraged from preaching. When the talk around the kitchen table is about how much money one can make, preaching is tossed to the floor. When the talk is about how much one can make as easily as possible, preaching isn’t brought up. When it is said, “You can do better than be a preacher,” a young man will look for that. God chose David. Not his family. Not his father.

God saw what no one else saw. Oh, to have such eyes. Oh, to give someone a chance. Oh, to have the heart to find something useful to do when the days are long and boring. Dreams—don’t throw water on them. Direct them. Remind them to stay close to the Lord.

David was chosen because God wanted him. A young person can be useful to the Lord. A young person can do what others will not do. David’s youthfulness was a problem for Saul when facing Goliath. It wasn’t for David. It wasn’t for God. He had the experience. More than that, he had the faith. He had what the older ones did not. And so it is today. The younger ones may have a greater faith in the Lord than we older ones. We do well to watch, learn and listen to the young David’s among us today.

There remains the youngest…but what a person he was. He was God’s chosen.

Roger

Jump Start # 3685

Jude 16 “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lust; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.”

Our verse today is not pretty. You won’t find this hanging on someone’s wall. A saying like this won’t sell well at Hobby Lobby. But it’s necessary and it’s given to us by God.

Jude is pleading with the faithful of God to steer clear of the wicked false teachers that seemed to be gaining a foothold among brethren in the late first century. Paralleled to 2 Peter 2, twisted thinking was denying Christ, opening the door to loose and immoral living and rebelling against the authority of the apostles. In essence, they had trouble with the Christ of the Bible and the Bible of Christ.

Our verse, one of several in the short book of Jude, identifies these trouble-makers are arrogant, complaining, taking advantage of others and fault finding. Such exists today. Not happy and not content with the way the N.T. patterns things, some complain. They find fault. They point fingers. They hold the door open for others to leave.

And, in this dark description we find “finding fault.” Today, we simply phrase this, ‘fault finders.’ Lets give that some thought.

First, people find what they are looking for. Jesus said, “seek and you will find.” The question is, what are we looking for? If one is looking for trouble, he’ll find it. If one is looking for sin, the devil will provide. If one is looking for good, he’ll see it.

While we are here on this planet, things will never be perfect. In our worship, songs will be pitched too high, sung too low, and drag. Sermons will state the wrong reference. They will be typos in bulletins and notecards. Prayers may sound repeated. Some will come in late. Some will leave early. If one is looking for things wrong, there are plenty of things to notice on a Sunday morning. Fault finders will find fault. However, if one is looking to God, he’ll find Him. Beautiful days. Smiling children. Hymns that touch the heart. Prayers that are passionate. Love that is shared.

Second, some by their very nature are experts at finding faults. I’ve known some brethren for decades, and if they ever complimented someone, praised something, or had a smile on their face, I think I’d pass out. Some are determined to leave this place miserable and complaining. And, that’s sad. It doesn’t have to be that way. Finding fault and finding goodness is a matter of the heart. One doesn’t have to be the way they are. They could change.

I’ve noticed also that fault finders tend to marry fellow fault finders. It’s rare to find a complainer and a complementer married to each other. I think they’d cancel each other out. One fault finder fuels another fault finder and when that’s the household, gloom and doom is what you will find.

Third, fault finders rarely start with themselves. It’s everyone else that is wrong. The church is wrong. The worship is wrong. The temperature in the building is wrong. People parked their cars wrong. The weather outside is wrong. Food at the restaurant is wrong. Nothing seems to be right, except them.

Reminds me of some grandchildren that rubbed some stinky cheese under the nose of grandpa while he was sleeping. When he woke up, he took a big sniff and declared that the room stinks. He went into the kitchen to see what was cooking. He said it stank. He went outside to get some fresh air and said that the whole world stinks. He never realized, until the giggling grandchildren confessed their actions that he was the one that smelled. And, so it often is with the fault finder. If we all began by looking in the mirror, we realize that we don’t have much to complain about the other person. We are far from perfect and we need a lot of work ourselves.

And, that’s about the only way a fault finder will stop pointing fingers at others. It’s when he holds up a mirror and humbles himself and realizes that he has done a lot of complaining but had done very little to help out or be part of the solution that he’ll begin the road to recovery. It is then that he will stop expecting others to fix things and he will step up and encourage, help and support those who are engaged in the walk with the Lord. Contend earnestly for the faith, likely the most known verse in Jude, does not give the liberty to be contentious. Contending is fighting for. Contentious is fighting against. Contending is staying with God’s way. Contentious is questioning God’s way.

Finding fault. I wonder what does a person do once they find fault? Most times, complaining follows. Nothing productive. Nothing helpful. Nothing that pulls a person closer to the Lord. Maybe that’s why we find arrogance, grumbling and taking advantage of others all linked together in this verse.

How about we find something today to thank the Lord for? How about we find something good today? How about we find someone to encourage today? Leave the faults to those who dwell in the gutter of life. Let us walk nobly and righteously with the Lord.

Roger