12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you
without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by
winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up
the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter
darkness has been reserved forever.
THE STUDY:
Continuing the
breakdown of verses 12-13, yesterday we looked at how these intruders were like
wild waves of the seas leaving behind
filth and debris. Today, we are going to look at the final example that Jude
uses to describe these false teachers: They are like wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved
forever.
Wandering stars probably refers to the
planets, whose irregular movements were not understood by the people of that day. In
Jewish tradition planets and falling stars were thought to be controlled by
disobedient angels (1 En. 18:13–16;
21:3–6). Since Jude quotes from 1 Enoch
in the following verse, he probably has disobedient angels in mind when he
compares the false teachers to wandering
stars. Because of their ever-changing movement within their orbits, planets
cannot be used by travelers for navigation. Likewise, the false teachers were
unstable and unsafe for spiritual navigation.
Each subdivision of this section (vv
5–19) ends with a note of judgment and punishment (vs 7, 10, 11). The theme of
punishment and judgment appears again at the end of v 13. The false teachers’
fate is utter darkness.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that a leader (inside or outside the church) should be a person who is found stable and trustworthy. This is especially true when it comes to leading a church spiritually. If you do not lead by a conviction in your heart for the teachings and guidance of the Holy Spirit you will appear as a wondering star.
CONCLUSION:
I watched a
movie a few months ago called “7 Days in Utopia.” I would say it has become
one of my top ten favorite movies of all time. The main character is a golfer
who, after listening to his father (coach) all his life, approached the 18th
hole of a major tournament with the lead. He felt he needed to play it safe but his father advised him to be aggressive and go for the green.
The movie portrayed the father as someone who, with all good intentions, did not have his son’s best
interest at heart. The father was off course in his life and was teaching his
son to follow the same path.
The golfer finds
himself in a little town called Utopia were his mistakes are revealed and a
mentor emerges who decides to take the next 7 days to help him find what he had
lost. My favorite line in this movie is where the mentor tells the golfer, “The
first step is to find some conviction.” http://youtu.be/L0Bw6og8EWo
If we don’t
live by a conviction of the heart we will find ourselves following false
teachers, misguided coaches, etc. We might even be found guilty of leading others
astray as well! Today, let people see our “conviction” so they will either
allow us to lead them to Christ or be encouraged to find some conviction
themselves.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2
Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible
Commentary (282–283). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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