DEFEND the FAITH

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Can you remember ever hearing a sermon series on the short book of Jude? I can’t. Is there a reason for that? Maybe! The book of Jude can be somewhat confusing sometimes; parts of the book seem to be full of strong and harsh words. There’s little gentle and comforting in the book. I know, “Truth does not blush.” True! But can we get away with that in our day? Many would say no! It just doesn’t sell.

In the classroom setting of one Peanuts comic strip, on the first day of the new school year, the students were told to write an essay about returning to class. In her essay Lucy wrote, "Vacations are nice, but it's good to get back to school. There is nothing more satisfying or challenging than education, and I look forward to a year of expanding knowledge."

Needless to say, the teacher was pleased with Lucy and complimented her fine essay. In the final frame, Lucy leans over and whispers to Charlie Brown, "After a while, you learn what sells!"

The temptation to say "what sells" is always with us. But not for Jude. Under the authority of God’s ordination, the writings of Jude are confrontational.
In the beginning of the book, Jude tells his readers to “Fight for the truth!" Really? Fight? Jude would say, “YES! Absolutely!” He demands us to stand up against biblical error. The book of Jude is the very definition of punchy—with its short commands and statements popping off the page like machine-gun fire.

However, in our day and age, punchy has become rude or unacceptable. In many circles the forcefulness of Jude would not be tolerated by crowds preferring a softer and gentler side of the Christian faith. But Jude reminds us that there is a time and a place for the aggressive protection of the truth from those who would seek to tear it down.

Jude does not waste space dancing around the issue. He saw within the church people and practices that were worthy of condemnation, including rejecting the authority of God’s word.
Do we understand what happens to our world when we swap the authority of God for current day falsehoods? Get this wrong and everything that follows slowly becomes erroneous.

Have you ever been in a hurry buttoning up something with lots of buttons, and when you were done, found out that it was uneven? What went wrong? Simple! When you don't get the first button in the right hole, all the rest are out of sequence, too. The same thing can happen to truth.

God gives everyone the same options: truth or lie. Take whichever one you like, but you cannot have both.

During World War II allied armies marched into Germany on their way to Berlin. Retreating Ger-man soldiers switched road signs and destroyed landmarks in an effort to confuse their enemy. And, to an extent, it worked, because many a G.I. followed a false marker only to end up in the wrong place. That just goes to show the need for true landmarks and the importance of reliable signposts by which to steer.

If we embrace what is false, or if we are ignorant of what truth is, we also will get lost along the way; reach a dead end; the wrong place.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” Why truth? Few people want to be lied to. We’d prefer the truth even if it hurts. We tell our doctors, “Tell me the truth.” A spouse may say to a mate, “Just tell me the truth.” No one wants to be lied to. Jesus understood this and began many teachings with, “I tell you the truth.”

The book of Jude was written when the church was under threat of embracing falsehoods. That’s not so unlike our day. Starting in September, we will unpack this short but powerful book during our Sunday Morning worship. We invite all to come.

[Ron Otto. Lincoln Christian Church]


 

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