You and I live our lives one story at a time.
I've been contemplating the possibility that we live life in stories, seamlessly moving from one chapter to the next.
I wake most mornings to my alarm. My phone has this annoying tune/tone that sometimes plagues me in the off-moments of my day. This morning, for instance, I had just gotten another cup of coffee. I returned to the cozy sofa near the blazing wood stove to finish watching a YouTube news video.
The tune entered my brain from nowhere — like the ethereal substance of daydreams.
That's a story from this morning. I could tell you a story about watching videos, picking up the house and vacuuming, or making pizza dough for dinner tonight.
You and I live our lives one story at a time. Just like a book or magazine, some stories are better than others.
Dreams and Visions
Dreams can be like that. I've had times when it seems like I dream all night, every night. I dreaded falling asleep a few times because of the trepidation of dreams that would follow.
Some things can make us dream. Maybe it's the spicy tacos or the blazing Chinese food I ate. Perhaps it's medicine. Ibuprofen has given me some very vivid, colorful, weird, and sometimes scary dreams.
Dreams can motivate us to act. In Jude, the dreamers act on their dreams and visions, but the thoughts they dwell on lead them on the path to destruction. It's possible to envision works in our churches or lives contrary to God and His purposes for us.
Have you ever said something like this? "I dream of going to Hawaii," and then you start planning and acting on that dream? Not many years after becoming a Christian, I dreamed of becoming a pastor. The Bible says that's an excellent or noble desire.
Do you find it curious that Joseph dreamed, but his visions saved lives and blessed even his brothers who hated him? They despised him for his dreams and visions of grandeur.
"For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace." [Rom 8:6 KJV]
The dreams and visions that Jude's dreamers dwell on are carnally minded. Joseph's dreams brought both life and peace when they were complete. The "certain men" had a vision or dream contrary to God.
In verses 8-11, Jude explains how we can envision a path for ourselves or a direction for our churches contrary to what God had determined for us. He illustrates the lives of Michael and Satan, Cain, Balaam, and those who rebelled with Core to show us a few ways to wander from that path.
When the King James Version calls the dreamers "filthy," the context is looking back to those "certain men" who have crept into the Church and come in relatively unnoticed. Many other versions agree that these dreamers rely on their dreams as a source of authority for their behaviors.
"to be carnally minded is death.
These four verses describe three actions these filthy dreamers might do.
"Likewise also these [filthy] dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." [Jude 1:8-11]
The dreamers
* defile the flesh
* despise dominion
* speak evil of [ blaspheme ] dignities
I may break these four verses into several articles. Then maybe I'll restore them all as one more extensive article or newsletter later.
Jude uses four historical records to jog his readers' brains. Similarly to the annoying tune from my daily alarm, Jude mentions four stories to trigger memories and meaning from them.
* Michael disputing with Satan over the body of Moses
* Cain, who killed his brother
* Balaam, who ran greedily in error after the reward of riches.
* Those who perished in the gainsaying of Core.
I'm using the phrase "historical records" because the world hears the word "stories" and hears "fairy tales," "science fiction," or "fiction". Your stories that happen every day are still stories, but they are also history.
Historical events happen that are never recorded; your life is probably a series of such stories.
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As we walk through these records, let's watch for the pernicious people occupying these lands.
The dreamers
* defile the flesh
* despise dominion
* speak evil of [ blaspheme ] dignities
There is no other direct reference to the dispute between Michael the Archangel and Satan over Moses's body. I'm guessing there were no human witnesses to the event when it happened. We can surmise that God wanted us to know about it, though.
This passage allows us to make some educated guesses about the dispute. It's essential to begin with God's revealed word.
God's Eternally Faithful Word
In Deuteronomy 34, a book of the Bible in the Old Testament, God instructed Moses to go to the top of a mountain in Moab, the top of Pisgah. From that mountain top, Moses would have a sweeping view of all the land God promised Israel.
When God makes a promise, he will not break that promise. God cannot lie. God will not make a man more holy or righteous than Himself. God commands us to let our "yes" be yes and our "no" be no. He has said anything else comes from evil.
"This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, "I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you will not go over there."
So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in Moab, and no man knows where his grave is. The LORD buried him in a valley in Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Consider the Record of A Dispute
The evidence from Deuteronomy tells us that the LORD was there, along with Michael the Archangel and Satan. The LORD himself is the witness of the dispute.
If you recall, we're interpreting the stories in light of three characteristics of the ungodly dreamers, those certain men who portray themselves as Christians but are really godless dreamers who have snuck into the Church to change how we approach God and respond to Him.
I. Defile the flesh
Jude and the premise for reminding us of this history suggest that the dispute over Moses's body was first intended to defile the flesh. What did Satan intend to do with the body of Moses? Perhaps he would possess it and deceive Israel into departing from the LORD. Perhaps something worse.
II. Despise Dominion
The dispute may have displayed Satan's disdain and his despisement of God. God had used Moses in many miraculous ways. If Satan could use the corpse to deceive the people of God, it would have been a despicable display of Satan's contempt for the dominion and authority of God.
III. Speak Evil of Dignities
The third action is the perfect action of Michael, who would not blaspheme even Satan but only said, "The Lord rebuke you."
Remember that "dignities" here is about God and His glory.
How should these examples impact our daily conversations?
I recently had a conversation with a man who holds some authority. I felt that the way I was spoken to and his body language displayed an impersonal and disrespectful demeanor.
I likely misread parts of our communication, and ironically, the discussion was specifically about poor communication and what could be done differently to improve our communication in the future.
Well, the man wouldn't look me in the eye but only talk to me while looking at the ground. I was at fault, in part because I was ignorant of his severe hearing difficulty. It was unfortunate, but he appeared to despise and disrespect me by his actions.
After several attempts to get his attention, he bolted upright and, agitatedly, asked me, "What? You want me to look you in the eye when I'm talking to you?"
My blood boiled as I calmly answered him, "That would be nice." I turned and walked away before I said things that shouldn't be said to someone in a position of authority.
In days past, I've let loose with blasphemies that never should have been uttered. I would have despised that man's authority and spoke evil of him if I had said what my flesh desired to convey.
We are not to speak evil of dignities. More literally, we are not to blaspheme God's glory in Himself or His people.
So what?
Why is any of this important to you or me? Jude warns us not to follow in the footsteps of the dreamers. They and their visions of grandeur follow their own imaginations instead of following God as He wants us to.
Suppose we become like these certain men and women and develop a character in the likeness of these ungodly dreamers. In that case, we set ourselves on the path of those with an appearance of godliness but whose hearts are far from Him. We would be like them, whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones.
Maybe you've seen the news this week and the arrest of several criminal illegal immigrants from New York City. A legitimate and legal pawn shop/jewelry store was fencing the stolen items. The news video shows four individuals being pulled over with more than $300,000 in stolen goods in the trunk of the car!
The vehicle was headed north on the interstate. When the policeman inquired where they were headed, they explained they were headed for Florida. The officer pointed with a finger and wryly told them they were headed the wrong way, "Florida is that direction."
Are we headed the right way in our churches and lives?
These four instances in Jude are for us, to remind us to keep going the right way in our walk and worship.
In the following three examples, there's a pattern of bad behavior as Cain, Balaam, and Core's rebellion all attempt to do things their way. God has given us the means of forgiveness and the proper use of spiritual gifts and instructed us to flee sexual immorality.
God has given the Church and believers some freedom in worship. The Bible does not instruct on the order of service for Sunday morning or on whether a midweek Bible study should occur.
God gave clear instructions on some areas of worship. From before the foundation of the world, Jesus is the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. There is no other means of forgiveness. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. After the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, animal sacrifice is no longer acceptable to God for the sin of any man.
In the first example, Satan, in self-seeking, sought his own desires. In the following three examples, we see men who rejected God's clear instructions and determined their way was better.
I hope you're looking forward to discussing Cain, Balaam, and Core as much as I am.
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