I was also honored to help another Pastor and his wife celebrate their 25th anniversary. We gathered at the church of Bob and Bertha Chapman in North Ft. Myers, and I conducted a special service for them with family, friends, and members of his congregation coming together to make it a special time. Right before the service began we heard Roy Rogers sing “Happy Anniversary.” If you’ve never heard the song before, Google it, pull it up, and listen. It is a fine song that he wrote for his wife, Dale Evans. What a fine Christian couple they were. After the service we enjoyed a tasty meal in their fellowship hall. One thing about our Christian sisters --- they sure know how to cook. The Lima beans were excellent and were fixed by a Christian brother. It seems many of our men are fine cooks too.
The service at Friendship Harmony yesterday was very uplifting. We concluded our two weeks of singing Fannie Crosby hymns. Did you know that Fannie didn’t write her first song until she was 44 years old? Fannie continued writing until she died at age 95, writing three songs per week. Fannie also used over 120 different “pen names;” names other than her own. It is reported she did this because publishers wanted her hymns, but were afraid to print books with so many “Fannie Crosby” songs, thus the usage of fictitious names.
Our series of messages from the Book of Jude continued by examining verses 12, and 13. In these verses, Jude continues exposing the false teachers for the dangerous people they were. The message title was, “Useless To The Church.” Jude told us that these people were selfish, dangerous, and absolutely useless. These apostates were people that the church would be better off without. Today we try to make our churches inclusive, so that everybody can come. The Church should be a welcoming place, but must also be on her guard so that people who are there to teach false doctrine and hurt the church can be dealt with as each situation warrants. I pastored a church in Cincinnati where I was told of an incident that happened three years before my time there began. One woman had become so hurtful to the church, and so dangerous that she had to be excommunicated. In a Southern Baptist Church, excommunication is rare indeed. It meant that she could never set foot within that church ever again. Normally when a member is dismissed due to a problem of some sort, they can repent and seek the church’s forgiveness. The church is only too happy to do it. As one does this, they are welcomed back to worship again and after a trial period, their membership can be restored. This lady was totally excommunicated - she could never come back. How tragic when a church is forced by the actions of someone like this, to have to take such a drastic step. That is, however, what must happened. Jude warns us citing four examples from nature about how useless these people are.
I know what some of you are thinking. In your mind you’re saying, “Pastor Vic, the church is supposed to love everyone, after all, we’re all God’s creatures.” My response is two fold. First, a rattlesnake is also one of God’s creatures, but would you be willing to sit in a church pew next to one? Second is to properly understand the meaning of the word “love.”
Love is not a feeling, it’s an action. It is how you treat someone. It is doing right by someone. Sometime the right thing to do is to dismiss someone. To like someone is a feeling. You can not like someone, but still love them. It is you saying, “I might not like you, but I’ll do right by you.” That’s love. Doing right by the church is protecting it from false teachers. This is what Jude is suggesting. Below are the sermon notes. Please feel free to use them for your personal Bible study.
Useless To The Church ©
Jude v 12,13
Encouragement From Jude Series
08/2-4/12
By Victor W. Cooper
Intro: Jude now uses four examples from nature to show the Church that these apostate believers were useless to them.
They are:
I. selfish imposters. V12a (ESV) These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves…
A. Love feasts were what we call “fellowship dinners,” and were usually followed by The Lord’s Supper.
B. These times were a showing of love for one another and for Christ.
C. It was a time of purity. This is why Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
D. Jude calls them, “spots,” meaning dangerous rocks in the ocean. The New Living Translation says, “When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way they care only about themselves…. “
E. They are there for both selfish and hurtful reasons.
II. clouds without water.
A. They provide no life sustaining rain.
1. Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Bible Knowledge Commentary: In addition these unbelievers had taken a shepherding role, but did not function as shepherds. Instead of feeding the flock of God, they selfishly would feed only themselves. How unthinkable for a shepherd not to feed his sheep—which was his major responsibility! Their leadership was false, for it was deceptive, hardened, and selfish.
III. twice dead trees.
A. A non-bearing fruit tree appears dead at harvest time. The apostate believers had no fruit, nor did they care to.
B. An uprooted tree is dead.
IV. rough crashing waves. V13
A. Waves roll in, then out again leaving behind nothing but foam.
1. Jude’s readers would have understood this reference very well. The Greek goddess Aphrodite was formed from the foam left behind by the waves of the sea.
2. As the Greek gods and goddesses were merely man made myths, Aphrodite would be useless.
3. Today’s readers understand the coming and going of the waves, with the resulting foam The foam is a useless product.
B. There is nothing solid about foam; there is nothing solid about an apostate teacher..
1. The old expression says, “There’s nothing to them.”
V. wondering stars. i.e. shooting stars
A. They streak across the sky in a momentary flash of light then are gone.
B. Unlike a fixed star, navigation by a shooting star is useless; it leads nowhere. Even with our modern GPS and computers, military and cruise ship captains are still taught how to navigate by the stars.
1. No wise ship captain would follow a shooting star. .
2. A ship captain knows following a shooting star will lead to disaster.
3. Jude is saying that following these wandering stars is useless and no good will come from it.
Conclusion: So, what is the point? What is Jude doing with these verses? Jude is accomplishing three tasks.
1. He is telling the Church that these people are useless and do not need to be in the fellowship. We must not be so interested in “how many we had in church today” that we accept anyone, regardless of their stand.
2. He is teaching us the warning signs of a false teacher, so that we can be on our guard.
3. He is encouraging us so that we do not turn out to be just like them.
I hope your upcoming week is a good one. If your area is suffering from the heat and needs rain, I pray the Lord sends some. Above all, make sure you protect yourself from the heat. If you have to be out in it for an extended period, be sure to carry along some water. I want each of you to stay safe and well.
Thank you for being a loyal reader. As of last Monday, there are 12,832 of you following this blog from all around the world. I’m grateful for each of you. How about writing to me and introducing yourself. It is always good hearing from. You readers outside the United States are encouraged to write as well. My e-mail address is preachercooper@hotmail.com. I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
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