ME
Open your bibles to the book of JUDE…if you don’t have a bible with you, the ushers will gladly hand you one.
[Ushers hand out bibles to any who need them]
We’re going to be looking at verses 12-16 today…
WE
We are picking up right where we left off last Sunday. AND let me tell you that – just as last week’s sermon was a hard one for me to preach and a hard one for some of you to hear – this week’s sermon is going to be just as difficult…maybe more so.
Here’s why…
This is tough sermon to preach because we aren’t a very big church.
Here’s the deal…
Some of you are going to misinterpret what is said today. You’re going to think that, because we are a small church and because we need more people to be serving in ministry that that’s what I’m talking about and you are going to either make excuses for why you can’t get involved OR you’re already doing more than you can handle and you’re going to feel guilty and want to take on more stuff to do…
STOP IT! This is not a sermon about DOING MORE STUFF…some of you need to DO MORE STUFF…but that’s not the point today so don’t go there…
This is also difficult to preach in a small church because…in a big church, when I tackle some of these issues, it’s easy to just speak to the big crowd and let God sort it out…but with a smaller group like ours…I already know some of the people this applies to and I DON’T EVER WANT TO BE GUILTY OF PREACHING AT SOMEONE OR SOME GROUP IN PARTICULAR…it will also be easy to look at this message and identify some people who this should nail between the eyes and you’ll be tempted to sit there and think I HOPE SO-AND-SO IS LISTENING…
STOP IT! This truth applies to all of us and we ALL need to do something about it.
How’s that for an introduction?
Let me get right to business and lay out for you the point. Here’s the ONE THING I want all of us to walk out of here with… As followers of Jesus Christ…we must PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
Now I know that sounds a bit crass…maybe a little harsh and certainly very direct. It’s meant to be…
I believe that one of the greatest problems with the church in America today is that it is filled with people who are Christian in name only. They love Jesus with their mouths and not with their hearts or their lives…
Not only that…but most of us know it and we just let it slide because it’s easier than dealing with it…and in that sense, we are SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY!
AND THAT IS EXACTLY what Jude says to the church in this little letter that he wrote. In fact…he makes some VERY STRONG statements about those who are a part of the church and only take…never serving, never growing…not really loving Jesus or others.
That’s what we have today…let’s jump in and pull back they layers on this passage of scripture and see what we can learn and apply to our lives…
GOD
12These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 16These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Jude 12-16 (NIV)
Basic outline of Jude 12-16…
1. They don’t produce OR the produce BAD FRUIT (12-13)
2. They will be judged (14-15)
3. Here’s what they look like (16)
Vv. 12-13…
Jude gives a list of six graphic pictures to describe what these men are like…
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm
Explain LOVE FEAST…(agape meal)
Was a part of worship
It involved communion AND
It was a meal where everyone shared
Rich & poor sat together
` Slave and free sat together
Jew & Greek sat together
Differences were put aside and everyone shared in the meal as a family…they honored Jesus with communion and with the way they shared…
If you could afford to bring a lot…you did. If you could afford only to bring a little…you did. If you couldn’t afford to bring anything…that was OK
For some of the poor and for some slaves this was the only decent meal they would get all week and it was the only time they would be treated as valuable…as human.
Blemishes: - Jude says that the men we have been talking about…those who just follow their own desires and don’t submit to any authority were a part of the church and they were participating in these love feasts…and that they were BLEMISHES at these feasts…
That’s good as far as it goes, but the word blemish isn’t the best translation… This word is also used to describe hidden rocks along the coast…just under the surface of the water…that will ground and destroy sailing ships…
These men were hidden rocks…shipwrecking the faith of many…
They would come to these love feasts and eat only with the wealthy…they would share nothing with the poor or bring nothing to share with anyone…taking only, never giving. They led others in the church to behave the same way…segregating, dividing…breaking the unity of the body… This WRECKED the church…
shepherds who feed only themselves.
Selfish Shepherds: - Some of these men had leadership roles in the church…they were SHEPHERDS of God’s people.
Ezekiel 34:1-10
Jude condemns them because they were selfish. They were a part of the church for what they could get…not because they believed that as the body of Christ they should be giving of themselves to others…
They huddled in their own little groups, taking what they could and giving nothing in return. (How very American) The view the church as a way to get what would please them…what would make them happy…and not as a body of people who were called to follow Jesus in serving the world even to the point of death…they didn’t get it and they were keeping others in the church from getting it…
They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind;
Empty Clouds: - Showing great promise of rain…but not delivering. These men showed great promise…the potential to be a blessing to the body of Christ and the community in which they lived but they never produced.
autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.
Dead Trees: - Like the empty clouds…they look good at first but because they are dead inside they produce no fruit. They have promise and potential…but they are just talk…they never deliver.
13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame;
Raging Waves: - Lots of noise but they only produce filth. They are driven by the winds in whatever direction the wind blows…
Isaiah 57:20
wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Wandering Stars: - You can’t set a course with a wandering star…it will lead you astray…off course.
Jude, through a series of word pictures reveals that these people who are so damaging to the church…people from inside the church (the whole sleeping with the enemy thing)…simply do not produce. They talk a good game; they look good; they sound good; They’re impressive on the surface, but as you watch their lives they don’t produce fruit that shows they belong to Jesus.
They either produce NO FRUIT or they produce BAD FRUIT.
In other words…the results of their lives and the results of their involvement in the church…in the work of the KINGDOM…is either zero – no results… …or negative – they detract from the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Jesus described this very situation in Matthew 7:15-23
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV)
Did you catch those last three verses? NOT EVERYONE WHO CALLS JESUS LORD WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM!!!! In other words, TALK IS CHEAP…
It doesn’t matter if we say we believe Jesus…if we don’t live it.
It doesn’t matter if we say we know Jesus…if we don’t live it.
It doesn’t matter if we say we love Jesus…if we don’t live it.
Basically…Jesus is saying that As HIS followers…we must PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
Saying it isn’t enough…WE MUST LIVE IT…THERE MUST BE FRUIT IN OUR LIVES…
If you are in love with Jesus
If you are surrendered to Jesus
If you will obey Jesus
If you are led by the Spirit of God…instead of your own desires
THEN…
You will produce fruit in your life. People will be able to SEE in your life that you belong to Jesus…that you love Jesus…that you will serve Jesus…that you will serve them as an act of worship to Jesus…
The FRUIT in your life will be obvious…not just in your actions, but in your attitude as well…
Paul gives a great list of “FRUIT” that will become increasingly evident in your life if you truly belong to Jesus…
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
If these things aren’t growing in your life…(love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…etc.) If you aren’t adding to the body of Christ through sacrificially serving others and giving of yourself…If you are only in the church for what it can do for you…if you are only here to GET something then…according to JUDE…you are like one of these pictures he has described.
[I’m not simply talking about those who don’t teach or show up for work days or serve in a specific ministry…some of the people Jude describes were in ministry – in leadership roles (selfish shepherds…) The fruit I’m speaking of DOES involve being an active part of the ministry of the church but more than that it involves your attitude…do you have an attitude of SERVICE to everyone around you or do you expect the CHURCH…the people you worship with and the pastor…to make YOU happy and meet YOUR needs and keep YOU satisfied?...those are the people Jude is addressing…]
People with lots of show but no GO…lots of promise but nothing delivered. And to them Jude is basically saying…PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
This may seem a bit crass, but as followers of Jesus Christ…we must PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
And for those who are unwilling to surrender to Jesus and let him rule their lives…for those who insist on just doing what feels good…for those who simply are not or will not grow spiritually, Jude has VERY harsh words. He is so hard on them because they drain the life out of the body of Christ.
His rebuke is not for those who don’t know Jesus and live like they don’t know Jesus…Jude doesn’t come down on those who are not followers of Christ or those outside the church.
His rebuke is for those who claim to know him and who are a part of the church. Those WITHIN the Body of Christ who seek only their own happiness and want only to feel good. Those within the body who look so promising but do not deliver…
And Jude lays out, very clearly, how God views such people and what he intends to do about them.
He quotes Enoch…a man who was so righteous that he doesn’t even die. He says that ENOCH PROPHESIED AGAINST SUCH MEN…they will face destruction.
14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
I’m not going to get into the text that Jude quotes…it’s from a book called…”The Book of Enoch” Another writing that would have been well known to the Jews of the first century but was not considered inspired by God and is not viewed as scripture…
Again it would be like Jude using U2, Coldplay, The Office or The Dark Knight to convey God’s truth to the people in a way that they could understand and relate to…
The point he is making is that such people in the Kingdom of God is not new. It happened under the Old Covenant (the law) and it would happen under the new covenant (Grace – through the sacrifice of Jesus).
God is aware of it and a day is coming when HE will judge such people. No one gets away with murder.
So what does these people look like in the church?
As if their lack of productivity…the lack of fruit…isn’t enough to identify them, Jude gives some very clear indicators of what these people look like in the church…be warned that some of you aren’t going to like what you see/hear…
• Grumblers & Faultfinders
The word “faultfinder” literally means someone who is always unhappy with their lot in life…if you give them a new pony, they complain because they’ll have to clean up the poop.
These people are never content. They always have a complaint about something. They are never content.
I Timothy 6:6 ...”Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
• Follow their own desires (if it feels good…)
• Boast about themselves
• Flatter others for personal gain
This is what the people who are wrecking the church look like.
So, who is “the enemy?” Well, in bigger terms we know WHO THE ENEMY IS…but when it comes to being disruptive and destructive within the Body of Christ, I think Jude identifies the enemy as those who look good (say the right things, wear the right clothes, show up and smile on Sunday) but who – upon closer inspection – don’t deliver as promised.
• They grumble and complain about their life and their church…
• They always have a reason why things will turn out bad…
• They only do what feels good…rarely – if ever – making personal sacrifices for others
• They love to talk about themselves…their accomplishments, what they do right, how “good” they are compared to so-and-so.
• The love to buddy up and talk nice to those who can give them what they want…not for the purpose of building relationship but for the purpose personal gain.
Basically they are the people in church for what they can get and for what makes them feel good. And they complain, belittle, slander, run down anything that doesn’t make them feel good…Anything that doesn’t meet THEIR expectations.
That’s the enemy…and far too often we are sleeping with that enemy. We are comfortable that the enemy exists within the body. We are too willing to let this sin slide…and I think that’s because far too often that enemy stares us in the face each morning as we look in the mirror.
And we need to look into that mirror and say, very clearly as a follower of Jesus Christ…you need to PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
STOP PLAYING THE GAME!!!
SO WHAT
YOU
How do you and I unpack this today and do something with it…
Let me suggest that you start by asking yourself some hard questions…
Ask yourself…
• Am I a habitual complainer?
• Am I more concerned about what makes me happy – what makes me feel good – than I am about serving Christ by serving other believers and our community?
• Am I more concerned about what makes me happy than I am about communicating the truth of the gospel?
• Am I habitually negative?
• Do I befriend people because of what I can get or because of what I can give?
If you answer these questions honestly…and if the answers aren’t good…then As a follower of Jesus Christ…it’s time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP…
WE
As we close today…I want to encourage you to spend a few minutes investigating your own life.
My prayer this week has been that Jesus would convict some hearts and bring some people to repentance so that we can become a church that is truly about the business of the kingdom.
Some of you are TOO FOCUSED on what you can GET out of church and you are not focused on what it means to BE THE CHURCH.
You talk…but you don’t serve
You complain…but you don’t sacrifice
You SOUND like a follower of Jesus…but you don’t look/live like a follower of Jesus.
As you search your heart, I want to ask you to invite Jesus to search your heart too. Let him identify where you need to repent, where you need to confess, where you need to allow him to move you out of the way so that you can be a vital part of the Kingdom!!!
As we take communion today, will you allow Jesus to search your heart?
Let’s Pray
