Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Middle age has not been fun in a lot of little ways.

One of those ways was my vision.

I am near-sighted and have worn glasses since I was in the sixth grade.

I used to joke that if my eye sight got any worse, they were not going to give me a new prescription, they were going to give me a dog.

But then, I started to not be able to see up close.

This was first noticeable when I tried to read with contacts on; I just couldn’t focus.

So, I helped myself to some reading glasses from the dollar store.

Eventually, I couldn’t focus when I had my glasses on either, which meant taking my glasses off when I needed to see up close or read.

This got annoying so I ordered myself a pair of transitional glasses with transitional lenses online (for the record, my experience wearing glasses does not make me an optometrist, but you can do a lot online).

A few months ago, I finally went to the optometrist.

She examined my eyes (you know the drill) and prescribed transitional lenses with the correction I actually needed, which was different than what I thought I needed.

Now I see better and more clearly.

Transition

As he is writing, Jude really wants his audience to see well and see clearly.

There are dangers within their churches, and within themselves that they aren’t seeing clearly.

Illumination

How do we see Inspiration?, Jude 14a

Though this is not Jude’s intent, his writing contributes to our need to see how we view inspiration.

How we see inspiration will determine how clearly we see, and how seriously we take, the Bible.

It is foundational to our faith and practice.

Enoch appears in Genesis 5 (the Enoch in Genesis 4 is a different person).

Did you hear Enoch’s prophecy?

No? That’s because it isn’t there.

So where did Jude get this quote?

Some point to the book of Enoch

Enoch is a known gnostic forgery supposedly written by Enoch and found by the gnostics

Some invalidate the quote on the basis of its invalid source

Some insist that the quote’s inclusion validates only the quote, not the whole source, similar to Paul’s inclusion of quotes from secular authors

Enoch was written after the fall of Jerusalem, and thus after Jude, meaning its author quoted Jude, not the other way around

Some point to oral tradition from an unknown source

Some point to special revelation given to Jude by the Holy Spirit as he wrote

The truth is we cannot be certain of this quote’s origin, and it is controversial as a result.

Uncertainty leads to doubt.

But does it need to?

If we believe in the inspiration of the whole Bible, we can trust the truthfulness of this quote even if we can’t document its source.

If we can’t trust the truthfulness of this quote, we probably have other doubts that lead us to a place where we don’t believe in the inspiration of the whole Bible.

How do we see the ungodly?

Judgment - indicates investigation and identification leading to final judgment

Ungodly - means without reverence for God

Passive - unintentionally failing to recognize God for who He is, including what He said and what He did.

This is characteristic of most people we know living their lives without any concern for God

Active - intentionally choosing not to recognize God for who He is, including what He said and what He did.

We probably all know a few people who live in opposition to God.

Most find Him in opposition to their sense of morality

Some are genuinely evil

Consistency - those without reverence for God are consistent

Their actions (deeds) demonstrate their lack of reverence for God

Their attitudes and habits (way) demonstrate their lack of reverence for God

Their words (spoken) demonstrate their lack of reverence for God

Most of the time, their actions, attitudes, habits, and words are not what we would classify as inherently evil, but they do belay their lack of reverence for God

How do we see the ungodly in our midst?, Jude 16-19

We will probably hear their words first

grumblers - complaining in general

complainers - complaining about their lot in life, expressing their discontent

We will see their actions and habits if we watch

lust - anything I want that God does not want for me

These follow their own desires, not God’s

These talk the talk but don’t walk the walk

These will say anything to get what they really want…even though it is not what God wants for them, or for those who listen to them

We will remember that we were warned about them, if we’re paying attention

We will see their affects

They are soulish, not spiritual

Sensual - the word translated means belonging to the soul

They have legitimate, sometimes intense, emotional experiences that they may even describe as spiritual because they are not physical, but they are not truly spiritual

Soulish is a more accurate word/title

They are divisive, not spiritual

they do not want what God wants

they do want influence, recognition, and promotion though and will seek it

their efforts naturally lead to division, separating first into factions then splitting off into separate groups

their desires are inherently selfish and so inevitable lead to using and abusing those who follow them

Conclusion

Jude is super concerned about the ungodly people who were in churches and who were having a negative impact on the churches they were in.

As he warns of their presence and helps us to see them, we find a real threat: any one of us could be, or could become, the very people he warned about.

We, like all well-meaning people, would naturally object to this.

But it is more prudent to listen to the warning than it is to dismiss it.

What leads me this conclusion?

We are all prone to complain.

The occasional complaint of a godly person can be confessed and forsaken like any other sin.

But, when complaining becomes more frequent and more consistent, it indicates a lack of reverence for God and is most likely consistent with attitudes, actions, and habits that likewise demonstrate a lack of reverence for God.

We are, after all, prone to be more consistent than we want to admit.

Application

Our words are like thermometers.

They allow us to see readily what is going on around and inside of us.

Listen to yourself.

Listen objectively, not through the filters of circumstantial permission that we give ourselves.

If you can’t hear yourself, record yourself and listen to that.

Ask someone you trust and give them the permission to be honest.

It is important that we find a way to really hear what we are saying.

If we find that we don’t like what the thermometer reflects, we can adjust the thermostat.

Ie, if we find ourselves becoming ungodly, but don’t want to be, we can take steps to revere God with our actions, attitudes, habits, and even our words.

But if we aren’t willing to pay attention, we should not be surprised to wake up one day and find Jude in our grill because we are the ungodly.