Text: Jude 22-23, Title: Winning the Heretics, Date/Place: 10/14/06, LSCC, AM
A. Opening illustration: May 26, 2002, Memorial Day weekend, a barge pilot passed out and hit a bridge span of I-40 over the Arkansas River. This accident dropped a 600 foot span of the bridge 62 feet into the swift flowing river below. Eleven people (and a trailer full of show horses) died as their cars and 18-wheelers dove over the edge of the missing span, one piling on top of another. There were several fishermen on the river in a bass competition, which saw the bridge collapse. Realizing that the cars & trucks were still coming, one of the fishermen below the bridge reached into his boats’ emergency kit for the emergency flare. Whipping the flare up into firing position, the fisherman let the missile fly: up, up, and over the edge of the last standing bridge span. That one flare providentially hit the windshield of the next 18-wheeler speeding down I-40 at 70 miles an hour. The shocked drive hit his brakes, and his front tires slid over the drop-off; putting his truck into reverse, he pulled his wheels back up onto the bridge, warning the other drivers. Another boat of fishermen saw a man under the damaged barge, who was holding on for dear life, and got a floatation device to him and pulled him into their boat, affecting the rescue. One man’s (the river pilot) error resulted in the death of many (eleven people died); one man’s quick thinking and action (the fisherman) saved the lives of many. The continued action of other fishermen saved the life of one who was savable, but sinking. You have an emergency flare (the Gospel) in your emergency kit; will you pull it out to save the lives of others? Seeing people sinking down, about to go under will you throw them a life saver (Jesus)? Or are you afraid someone will think you silly or stupid for firing a flare or throwing a life savior?
B. Background to passage: Jude has previously communicated that he wants these believers to contend for the faith against these lawless heretics. He has labored to identify these men for the church, and given a few instructions to the believers about how to prepare themselves for defense against their error. He goes along those lines today again pushing these believers not only to resist these false teachers, but to attempt to win them to Christ. The troublers of the church are one of its number one mission fields.
C. Main thought: In our text this morning we will see three exhortations about our attempts to win others.
A. Be Compassionate (v. 22)
1. Jude begins his exhortation on evangelizing these heretics by reminding the church to show mercy. The word means to show kindness and concern to someone in serious need. It is a distinguishing feature of Christianity to do good to those who persecute you and love you enemies. And Jude calls on these believers not to crucify their troublers, but to love them and evangelize them.
2. Matt 5:43-47, 9:36, Heb 5:2
3. Illustration: In only six cases out of forty did the sufferers find the way to Jesus without assistance, A missionary physician in one of China’s hospitals cured a man of cataracts. A few weeks later 48 blind men came to the doctor from one of China’s wilds, all holding on to a rope guided by the man who had been cured. He had led them in this way, walking in chain 250 miles to the hospital, If they who reject Christ are in danger, is it not strange that we, who are so sympathetic when the difficulties are physical or temporal, should apparently be so devoid of interest as to allow our friends and neighbors and kindred to come into our lives and pass out again without a word of invitation to accept Christ, to say nothing of sounding a note of warning because of their peril?
4. We must realize that lost people are not stupid. When you get lost, you get there by accident. We also need to realize that their doubts and questions sometimes are valid inquiries. And we should respond with grace and compassion, helping them to see the light. We also must remember that in part, these people can’t help acting the way they do. Lost people will act like lost people. Don’t try to morally improve people before they know Christ, although moral failure can be a starting point for the gospel. Let your heart be broken for their condition. They are separated from God, under His condemnation, without hope for heaven, hurting, and in need of someone to point them toward the Savior. Remember their lostness may not manifest itself in complete despair. Sometimes lost people are content to be lost. But we still should feel a compassionate brokenness over their contentment to be lost. Ask God to open your eyes to their condition and need, to give you a brokenness over them, to soften your hardness of heart over their rebellion. Then be prepared for God to do something with you.
B. Be Bold (v. 23)
1. Jude says to save them from the fire by “snatching.” The word means to take something by force, and can be translated “attack”. Jude was saying that these people are in danger of hellfire, and it is our job to get them out of harm’s way. Jude says these believers should charge right in and rescue the perishing. He says to lay it all on the line, give all for the cause.
2. Rom 11:14, 1 Cor 9:20-22, 2 Tim 2:10,
3. Illustration: tell about Dr. Patterson’s meeting with Yasser Arafat, A businessman landed at the Dallas airport and realized he had one hour and 20 minutes before his next plane connection-see below, The clock of life is wound but once—see below, Donald McCullough, in his book The Trivialization of God (NavPress, 1995), tells us that a few minutes before the king was to speak, a member of the CBS staff tripped over an electrical wire and broke it, cutting off the whole American audience. With no hesitation, chief control operator Harold Vidian grasped one end of the broken wire in his right hand and the other in his left, thus restoring the circuit. Electricity surged through his body. Ignoring the pain, Vidian held on until the king had finished his address. The missionary with bloody feet, “When intimidated by who’s sitting in the audience, we should remember the King of Kings is also here, and it’s his message.” –Chuck Swindoll, “True boldness for Christ transcends all, it is indifferent to the displeasure of either friends or foes. Boldness enables Christians to forsake all rather than Christ, and to prefer to offend all rather than to offend Him”—Jonathan Edwards,
4. We are called to lead an assault against the bondage in people’s lives by satanic forces. We are called to be prepared to lay down our lives in pursuit of others’. We are to be the Green Berets, the Navy Seals, the Delta Force, the Special Ops troops that will storm the highest and most heavily guarded military installations of the enemy. This means that nothing stands in our way—not embarrassment, not ignorance, not pride, not authority, not peer pressure, not fear, not pain, not retribution. Many of you need to commit to getting that unbelieving family member to come to FCW, or to watch dinner with a stranger. The world’s policy is “Don’t ask Don’t tell, and its OK.” Jesus says be bold, ask and tell, because you have the answers! Remember that eternity is at stake! And our gospel is victorious!
C. Be Cautious (v. 23)
1. Jude reminds them that as they attack the dominions and dark places of the world that they should be cautious. He says to be “hating” the sin in the lives of these believers. The imagery he uses here communicates loud and clear. He says that this sin is like soiled underwear. And it should be offensive, repulsive, nauseating, revolting, and disgusting to the believer. If sin were not enjoyable for a season, it would not be tempting. Therefore he says watch out for yourselves.
2. 1 Cor 5:6, 15:33, 2 Cor 6:14-17, Rev 3:4,
3. Illustration: You read about in the paper occasionally where a law enforcement official gets too deep into the network of scoundrels that he is trying to catch, and takes part in their conduct, becoming converted as it were to the dark side, the evangelist that used to go into bars of hotels where he was staying and ask if it was OK for him to pray.
4. None of us is beyond temptation. This is why we must use good common sense in our spiritual battle. Some of your men are not strong enough to share the gospel in a strip joint. You should develop a deep seated hatred for sin, and a fear of disappointing your audience of One. Sin should be repulsive to your ears, and to what is between your ears. This is why we need to constantly bathe our efforts to reach the vilest unbelievers with prayer. And we need to spiritually prepare ourselves for battle by taking up the armor of God. We are not to get so close to sin or sinners that we get sucked into their ways. This is why we are not to be unequally yoked. We are also instructed not to cast our pearls before swine. And there are times when we have shared repeatedly and are met with continual rejection that we may in good conscience cease to witness to that person.
A. Closing illustration: The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.
B. Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ.
Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ.
Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism.
Seventy-one percent do not give toward the financing of the great Commission.
C. Recap
D. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• SO WHAT???
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed.
To lose one’s health is more.
To lose one’s soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.
Thirty-nine people died while you read this short poem. Every hour 5,417 go to meet their Maker. What are YOU doing to help reach them with the Gospel before they are cast into Hell?
A businessman landed at the Dallas airport and realized he had one hour and 20 minutes before his next plane connection.
He thought, How can I be used of the Lord here?
He had a supply of Gospel tracts with him. He inserted one of his business cards inside each tract. Then he gave these to single men sitting waiting for their planes.
But he didn’t just hand them out and pass on. Instead he said to each man, “Pardon me. I have a little booklet here that explains how a person can become a Christian. Inside is my business card. I would like you to read this over and if you have any questions, I will be sitting over there. I have some time before my plane takes off. Or if you would like to write, my address is there.”
At the end of the hour and 20 minutes, men were standing four deep to ask questions about how to become a Christian. And, for weeks afterwards, the businessman received correspondence because of the business cards in the tracts.
