SODOM REVISITED
#746 SODOM REVISITED
Scripture Jude 5-12, NIV Orig. 5/23/1979
Rewr. 9/7/1988
Passage: 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord[a] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”[b] 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These people 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.
Purpose: Continuing a series from Jude, here calling attention to the perversions that had disrupted the church, and its 20th century application.
Keywords: Bible Study Immorality New Testament Characters, Jude Grace
Timeline/Series: Jude
Introduction
We may not know where they lived, or, for that matter, not very much at all about their origins. But, there are still many things by which these people are identified.
We know that the common denominator of this struggling congregation is Christ, Himself. We know that they have been called to participation in the family of God. We know that they bear the signs of God’s love on their character. And, we know that they had been assured of the “keeping” power of Christ in their lives. Their past, present, and future is inviolate.
We know that they share a common belief that Christ, the Son of God, is Lord. He is Himself the sin bearer, whose death at Calvary set them free. They, then, share a common humanity. Without Christ, they would stand condemned. With Him, they are the Kingdom of God on earth.
Ah, but here’s the rub. One cannot get into the Kingdom of God without God’s forgiving grace. There is no such extremity preventing them from participation in the koinonia fellowship: church.
Jude’s message to them is redemptive. Something must be done about the interlopers who have come among them. It is not a request for them to compensate for this disputed teaching. It is the strong advice of a friend for them to root out an unacceptable evil.
Remember, these men addressed so adamantly, did not perceive of themselves as enemies of the church. They were a vanguard of free thinkers, the elite of the new age. They thought they were setting a new tone for Christianity that would change the world forever.
I. Jude Presents Three Exhibits that are Examples of Moral Default. V7, “Sodom and Gomorrah . . . serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
Exhibit A was the Hebrew nation itself. They magnified the enemy. “They are stronger than we,” Numbers 13:31. They memorialize themselves. Past is greater than present. They minimize God.
Exhibit B was the example of the fallen angels. Little was said about this. Fundamentally, it was a denial of God’s right to sovereignty in their lives. It was a matter of demand for self-will. Do you really want to know what has gone wrong in government? It has to do with special interest groups. If they have enough money they can sway legislation/legislators. What that money does is to too often buy Babel towers of self-interest.
The third is seen here in the moral anarchy of Sodom and Gomorrah. This wasn’t mentioned last week. We call it to mind as a place of prestige and potential. Genesis 13:10, “And Lot . . . beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere . . . Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord.” Ezekiel 16:49, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness.”
This third exhibit becomes an example of divine judgment. Blessed with every conceivable opportunity, they defaulted. Our language carries a moral perversion called sodomy. It is homosexuality, and “Yes! The Bible does rebuke it as a sin.” Dutch/Reformed clergyman, living with his gay lover, adopted a son (NY). “The Bible doesn’t say much about homosexuality.” It is said, and I have no reason to challenge it, that more is said in scripture about judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah than any other. For believers, there is a spiritual sodomy, that is likewise a defilement of the body, and must be avoided. I Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey.”
II. Jude Then Likens these False Teachers to These Examples of Perversion. V8, “In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings.”
They were using the marvelous creation of the human body to witness to lust and depravity. God has given us our strength for good. It is a sad debacle when one shuts out the spirit of faith. It is defilement to profess faith but to live life out of gospel focus.
The story is given over Michael’s dispute with Satan over Moses’ body. Moses death recorded in Deuteronomy 34. We can only guess [what] the origin of the story included, but known to readers. Scholars suggest an Assumption of Moses. Michael refused to deny on his own authority, one who been a spokesman. “The Lord rebuke you.” We best be very careful in divesting ourselves of the spoken word because we have some case against the speaker.
The parallel stated is of these mockers who rail at, and ridicule things not understood. What of those who scoff at conversion for no other reason than they have not themselves experienced? Of one who doubts prayer simply because it is beyond his knowledge? Those who spurn forgiveness who have never practiced repentance.
Huxley: Eyeless in Gaza—“Men don’t tell themselves that the wrong they are doing is wrong. Either they do it without thinking or else they invent reasons for believing . . . right.”1
III. Finally, Jude Reaches Back for Three Human Exposés of Such Incrimination. V11, “. . . They have gone in the way of Cain, and gone greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.”
Cain is an example of the unregenerate church member. Note Cain’s lack of faith. Not that his sacrifice [was] wrong. Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” What we do, do we it of faith, or of some ulterior motive. Then heed the void of righteousness. Righteousness does not engender faith, faith engenders righteousness. Righteousness has to do with relationship. Titus 3:5, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” Too many people are content today to persevere in their own righteousness. Romans 10:3, “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” This explains the lack of love directed, of all places, against brethren.
Balaam adds additional grist to the mill of unbelief. Balaam (Numbers 22:5f) as a seer was self-possessed. His blindness to judgment is self-induced. The donkey sensed this avenging presence. Our world runs according to plan. Nature co-operates completely. Man, himself, is the nail in the wheel of progress. True believers know that judgment comes, individually/collectively. The rapture wasn’t at 12:05 on September 13th, but it is coming.
Korah (Core) is found in Numbers 16. Korah’s problem was undisciplined desire, another form of moral anarchy. Why should we belly-up to the entertainment all-stars for their version of life? Karl Malone—Ruston Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
***The remainder of this sermon has been lost***
1 Huxley, A. (1974). Eyeless in Gaza. Harper & Row.
STRIVING FOR BOLDNESS
#716 STRIVING FOR BOLDNESS
Scripture Hebrews 4:16, NIV Orig. 6/7/1978
Rewr. 6/11/1987
Passage: 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Purpose: To acknowledge the opening of SBC, and to speak to our long-standing plan of Bold Mission in reaching out to a lost world.
Keywords: Christ as Lord Grace Revival Cross Mercy Service
Introduction
The gavel will fall Tuesday morning at 8:30 opening the 130th session of the Southern Baptist Convention. The theme of the convention will be “Partners in the Harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38, Then saith he unto his disciples, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
The best example of Bold Mission took place when the First Century church discovered it was to be the agent of gospel proclamation to the world. What an assignment! A poor, inarticulate, rag-tag confederation of followers of a man called Jesus, who claimed to be the son of God, expected to impress itself upon a superstitious, pleasure-sated age. But they did it! And in such grand fashion that the message they first preached is still being proclaimed accurately, and with power.
Dr. James Stewart, in his book, “Heaven’s Throne Gift1,” raises this very question. “Was it the 120 disciples in the upper room?” If that is the case, then we need expect no more such days until we are sure we have people like those people. He continues, “Though it is true, . . . there were fervent earnest prayer meetings, when the disciples prepared their hearts for the coming of the Spirit, nevertheless, it was the glorified Son who prayed down the Spirit.” He concluded, “I would not, for one single moment, minimize the necessity for our own heart-preparation for the fullness of the Holy Ghost in our lives, but I am zealous for the honor and glory of my blessed Lord, when I state unequivocally that it was in answer to His prayer that the Spirit came.”
Because He is still Lord, such bold striving is yet called for, as His prayer remains still for His people to touch the world.
I. Such Bold Striving Begins at the Altar of Our Crucified Lord. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace.”
We must first locate this “throne of grace.” We spoke last week of Paul’s message to Colossae of God’s “mystery.” He spoke also to the Christians of Ephesus of the same concept. “mystery, . . . hid from the beginning of the world” now “made known” (Colossians 1:26f), (Ephesians 3:11) “according to the eternal purpose which he proposed in Christ Jesus” (3:12) “in whom we have boldness” (3:21) “unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.”
The Hebrew writer speaks unalteringly of this. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into [the] holiest by the blood of Jesus.” That throne of grace, then, is the altar of the crucified Jesus. The Pentecostal church found power there. Understand: Not speaking denominationally. Any denominational power broker is a target for Satan’s wiles and human indiscretion. In that church, struggling, poorly equipped, thought by some to be culturally deprived, were the people of Pentecost.
God has not changed, and Jesus continues to pray for His church. Our power is still at this altar, at the cross.
We must grasp that this is not a “once-for-all” altar. We are to come again and again. Translated correctly, the passage says “Let us keep on coming to this throne.” Strange: We keep on “going” to our diversions. Text: compels us to keep “coming” to Jesus. Why many sacrifice textual preciseness. We are to find daily camaraderie with our Lord at His altar-throne.
Therein is Pentecostal power. It has to do with the quality of our coming. It means coming with full confession of sin. Psalm 51:3, “I acknowledged my transgression.” Daniel 9:4, “And I prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession.”
It means coming in a truly worshipful spirit. Seeing myself as I am, and being sorry. Seeing God as He is, and being glad.
Read William Temple’s definition of “worship.”
“To quicken the conscience by the holiness of God.
To feed the mind with the truth of God.
To purge the imagination by the beauty of God.
To open the heart to the love of God.
To devote the will to the purpose of God.”
II. Bold Striving Discovers the Believer’s Guarantee of Mercy “that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help.”
Mercy is the key by which the door to grace is opened. The two concepts may appear indistinguishable. Grace describes God’s attitude toward the law-breaker and the rebel. Mercy defines God’s lovingkindness towards those who are in distress. An often-used phrase in New Testament is “mercy and peace.” (I.e., I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, II John, Jude, Galatians.) “Mercy” is the act of God. “Peace” is the resulting constraint in human hearts.
Thus, there is this two-fold activity of God. To bring people to embrace the truth: Grace. To sustain those who have embraced: Mercy.
John Bunyan2 tells the story of his life and conversion in “Grace Abounding.” As he listened to a sermon from Song of Solomon 4:1, “Behold, thou art fair, my love,” he could not wait for the preacher to conclude. All he knew, all he cared to know, was that God loved him, and told him so. Imagine, such a witness coming out of the sensuous Old Testament story. There is the boldness of the word.
Ann was struggling through days just before surgery a few years ago, and shared a passage that she happened upon. Isaiah 43:2, “When thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle thee.”
The greatest, boldest witness that can be expressed today, is the witness of God’s mercy as it is sustained (kept operable) in our lives. In The Ebb-Tide3, Robert Louis Stevenson has one character to say, “Everything’s grace, we walk upon it, we breathe it, we live it and die by it, it makes the nails and axles of the universe.”
John 1:16, “From the fulness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another” (and find grace to help in time of need).
III. Bold Striving Rejoices in the Power Available to the People of God.
Assessing needs, we see a world struggling through the quagmire of its own self-seeking. Problems of American foreign policy are often laid at feet of greedy bureaucrats. Problems of third-world nations struggling under the influence of politicians not statesmen. Problems that befoul our constitutional democracy by greedy merchants of human flesh.
A Christian must be a giving person. My church the first, best instrument of my trust. I must pay better those who work, and do a good job for me.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn has written with deep insight of the tragic lack of political/intellectual freedom in Russia. He addressed the graduating class of an Ivy League school (Harvard?), and spoke just as deeply, and just as insightfully, of the “indulgent” freedom that he has found in America.
Assessing needs, God has called His church to address itself to world problems with the gospel. The heart of the problem is that we live in a secular society. 60/65% of Americans hold church membership. Little higher in Bernice. 38% of ours attend less than once/month. No cause for back-patting (91 of 306). Most of 91 have not been. Many of 306 are on slippery edge.
Arthur Rutledge (former Home Mission Board): “There is little opposition to religion, but if church attendance statistics are an accurate barometer, only a minority of our people take religion seriously.” Harvey Cox reminds us (The Secular City4) “Secularization simply by-passes and undercuts religion and goes on to other things.”
Assessing needs, the church will not ever be any more than the BOLD STRIVINGS of its people. We can exhaust our energies in power struggles. We can be what we are, the people of God.
Conclusion
Howard Snyder deals with this very thing in The Problem of Wineskins5. He says he is optimistic, that we have cause to be enthusiastic. I agree!!!
Harvard: https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/a-world-split-apart
Snyder: https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-problem-of-wineskins-40th-anniversary-edition/
1Stewart, J. (1971). Heaven's Throne Gift. Christian Literature Crusade.
2Bunyon, J. (1666). Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: A Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ to His Poor Servant. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
3Stevenson, R.L. and Osborne, L. (1894). The Ebb-Tide. William Heinemann.
4Cox, H. (2013). The Secular City. Princeton University Press.
5Snyder, H. (2017.) The Problem of Wineskins. 40th Anniversary Edition. Seedbed Publishing.