July 16, 2007 — 11:01 AM
"Contend for the faith"
Jude 3-4, 8-11, 14-23
How does that Scripture reading strike you? What thoughts were going through your mind as you heard the words read?
[solicit feedback from congregation]
Jude is a short little book - only 25 verses - but it really packs a punch. What really struck me was how the writer of Jude describes those against whom the faith needs to be defended. They are described as: ungodly people, perverters of God's grace, body polluters, authority rejectors, murderers (like Cain), greedy (like Balaam), rebellious (like Korah), grumblers, faultfinders, followers of their own evil desires, boasters, flatterers, ungodly sinners. And these are just from the verses we read. There are more harsh words in the other verses that were not read!
Do you get the feeling that Jude does not like these people?
When the MBCC staff first talked about having a sermon series on the lesser-known books of the Bible, for some reason I immediately thought of the book of Jude. I know that it had to be God leading me to this book because we Presbyterians tend to shy away from the apocalyptic writings found in our Scripture canon.
And when I actually read the 25 verses of the book of Jude as I began to prepare for this sermon, I was sure it was God leading me to make this my text. That was the only way to understand it because I would not willingly choose it. I have to admit that when I first read this text I recoiled. I felt accused by this text.
I could see this text being used by those in our church opposed to the ordination of GLBT folks to point to those of us who favor more welcoming standards and say that we are the "ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
It would have been much easier to walk away from this text and find another about which to preach. No one was telling me I had to use this text. No one even knew I was considering it as an option.
But it wasn't really my choice to make. I don't believe we can walk away from the texts that make us uncomfortable in the Bible. We have to wrestle with them. We have to pray to God for wisdom and understanding. We have to pray that God will give us some sense of how these texts can speak to us today.
So that is what I did. And, thankfully, God did provide me with insights that help me understand this short little book in a much deeper way. Through my studies I came to understand that this text is actually an indictment against people who would use this text in just the way that I feared.
Let's look at it more closely together.
At the very outset of the letter we learn that the writer had been planning on writing to the community about their shared faith. But when he learned that there were divisive elements within it threatening to split the group apart he felt compelled to write a much different letter - one which urges the believers to "contend for the faith that the Lord has once for all entrusted to us, his people."
The writer doesn't go into detail about what tenets make up that faith. He believes that his readers will know what he is talking about. His use of the word "entrusted" is a clue to them that he is talking about the faith as it was handed down by the apostles of the Lord.
We will talk more a little later on about what that faith consists of. But I'm curious to know what you think of when you think of faith. When you hear the charge to "contend for the faith", what tenets or key ideas make up that faith that you are to defend? What are basic doctrines that you feel Christians need to be vigilant about?
[solicit feedback from congregation]
As you may know (from my post on the MBCC web site a week or so ago), over the course of the last month and a half I have been involved in a great discussion on an email list of people that I went to college with. Many of them have turned away from their religious upbringing and now describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or secular humanists. They can no longer accept the faith that was taught them and they can't understand how anyone else would either.
One person who calls himself an agnostic wrote to the group recently about what he understands the true message of the New Testament to be. Here is part of what he said:
"What I do know is that most people who call themselves 'Christians' do a fairly lousy job of living up to what Jesus said. It's easy to find Christmas-and-Easter churchgoers; also not tough to find people who attend every week. But it's real tough to find people who are willing to put aside all the things of this world and dedicate themselves to helping the poor and spreading the Good News. (It's really much easier to get a good job, buy the best car you can finance, and just attend a pleasant church instead.) Even though the Good News is REALLY good news - you don't have to live in fear - most people, including most Christians, still do."
For this friend, the main tenet of Christian faith as he understands it is: We don't have to live in fear. And once we no longer live in fear, we are freed to truly follow Christ's teaching to put aside the things of this world and dedicate ourselves to helping the poor.
Not bad words to live by.
But those words aren't the whole truth of the faith that I contend for. I need to add a little more to fill that picture in.
For me the real kernel of my faith is this: God is the God of steadfast love who walks with us no matter what may come our way - providing grace, strength, and compassion to help us weather any storm. Knowing this we are to live as people freed from the power of sin and fear. And, most definitely, our lives should show it. How we treat ourselves and other people should show that we are people who trust in the unending goodness of God, the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all of creation.
For Jude, the word "faith" has a primarily objective meaning: it is adherence to a collection of doctrinal truths that are foundational to the Christian message and the life of the Church. Truths such as: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; Jesus Christ died and rose again on the third day for the forgiveness of our sins; and, the Holy Spirit is the Advocate sent by Jesus from the Father to us. These truths were established by the apostles and were handed down to following generations.
Now that we have established an outline of the faith that we are to be contending for, let's go back and look more closely at those who are accused of undermining it by the writer of Jude.
Remember these words: ungodly, perverters of God's grace, body polluters, authority rejectors, murderers, greedy, rebellious, grumblers, faultfinders, followers of their own evil desires, boasters, flatterers, sinners? Yes, it's that list again. These are the characteristics of people that Jude feels are dividing the community.
In this letter, Jude sets up people as types, or representatives of a general category. He does this so that he can draw examples from the Hebrew Scriptures - examples that would have been very familiar to his audience. Everyone who read or heard this letter would have known what each person named represented. By comparing the current divisive people in the community to types of people from the past, the writer could create vivid pictures of the wrongs being committed without having to go into great detail.
Three bad types mentioned in the verses we read this morning were Cain, Balaam, and Korah.
1) Cain represents the type of person that is prideful and cynical in defying God
2) Balaam represents the type of person who is greedy and would betray anyone for the sake of money.
3) Korah represents the type of person who revolts out of pride
Simply by mentioning the names of these three people from the Hebrew Scriptures, the writer of Jude leads his audience to realize that there are similar people working in their midst to destroy their community of faith. In this way the writer alerts the people to the present dangers and puts them on guard against falling into similar behavior.
But these are not the only ways that ungodly people are breaking down the community. Jude goes on in later verses to name five insidious behaviors that are undermining the very work that the faithful are trying to accomplish. The writer lists these characteristics so that the community will watch out for them and not engage in them personally. Those who are undermining the community are described as:
1) grumblers
2) malcontents
3) those who indulge their own lusts
4) those who are bombastic in speech, and
5) those who flatter people to their own advantage.
Those who wish to contend for the faith are not to take part in any of these behaviors. And when confronted with people who are behaving in such a way, they are to understand that these people are working against the faith that has been handed down.
Do any of those characteristics apply to you? I'd have to say that several of them apply to actions I have engaged in over the last couple of weeks. And I would guess that some apply to you all as well. That is exactly why we pause each time we gather for a time of confession. To acknowledge that we engage in behaviors that are not always good for the upbuilding of God's community.
God promises to forgive those who acknowledge their missteps and rebellious ways. The writer of Jude knows this and is not speaking out against everyone who sins here. No, he is only warning against those who persist in these ways while saying that they are doing the work of God.
So what are the people to do when they are confronted with this type of behavior? The writer holds up the example of Michael the archangel. Do you remember this clip that Bruce showed on Easter?
[show video clip of Jesus v. the Easter Bunny]
Disturbing, isn't it? When I first saw this clip I was wondering where this understanding of Michael came from. Then I read the verses of Jude and I immediately understood. One commentary I consulted helped me understand it even more clearly. It said that:
- In late Jewish texts Michael the archangel plays an important role. His name means "who is like God"
- He is God's champion who fights against Satan and is the protector of Israel
- Jewish apocalyptic writing tells the story of Michael combating the devil over the body of Moses - to keep the devil from defiling it
- Michael, as our text today reminds us, did not dare to condemn the devil, rather he left that to God to do - to do so would have been an arrogant act on Michael's part
This last point is really the heart of what the writer wants his audience to know about those who are spreading dissension in the community - they are putting themselves in the place of God, the sole judge. They are seeing themselves as the final arbiters of the faith instead of relying on God for that.
The writer of Jude wants to warn the community, as well as us today, away from falling into these same behaviors. But how can we avoid behaving in these ways? Listen again to verse 21: "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
Keep ourselves in God's love. Fair enough. But how do we do that? By remembering. By telling and retelling the stories of our faith - the faith that the apostles handed down. This idea of remembering was and continues to be a vital component of the Jewish faith. Telling the stories of the faith from one generation to the next to keep the faith alive and vibrant within the life of the community. It is equally as important to the Christian communities that grew out of that early faith. By remembering something or someone, we make the past present and real to us.
Jude's message to his original audience remains true for us today: remember God's love - past, present, and the promise of it in the future. And then, as my friend put it, live without fear.
[solicit any final questions of comments on the book of Jude before wrapping up]
There is a Christian ritual of remembering that is observed around the world every Sunday - a ritual that binds together believers of all times and all places. It is the ritual of confessing our faith using the words of the Apostles' Creed. I would like to invite you to join with me this morning in this ancient ritual. Let us confess together:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right
hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the
quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion
of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life
everlasting. Amen.
