Jude by Seth Dunn

Jude

Do you ever name drop?  Often times, it is easier to get by in life when we are connected with a powerful or influential person.  It has often said, “It’s all who you know.”  Many people consider name-dropping to be bad form, especially in the meritocracy that is the United States.  Still, there is power in the practice of name dropping, and we even see it in the New Testament.

The penultimate book of the New Testament, the Epistle of Jude, which only takes a minute or two to read in its entirely is rarely preached upon.  Perhaps due to its brevity and perhaps do to the controversy that is has followed it all the way from the first century.  Whether or not one finds the content of Jude controversial, it can’t be denied is that this little epistle says a whole lot with very little words (less than 700 of them…in an English translation).

The greeting alone tells a deep story, “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.”  Jude identifies himself as a brother of the famous James, known throughout history as “James the Just.” James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, a close associate of Peter, and is understood to be the author of the Epistle of James.  That’s a pretty big name to drop.

In addition to James, Jude has another famous (half) sibling that he mentions in the greeting of his epistle…Jesus Christ.  Although Jude is the younger brother of Jesus he does not list himself as such.  Instead, he identifies himself as a “bond-servant” of Jesus Christ.  Jude doesn’t drop the name of Jesus as his brother; he drops the name of Jesus as his savior.  In doing so, Jude shows humility and a deep respect for the authority of God.

Jude continues this theme (in verse 9) in recounting a dispute between Michael the archangel and Satan.  In this dispute, Michael does not dare pronounce a judgment against Satan, but instead declares “The Lord rebuke you!”  That’s the biggest name anyone can drop.

Lord, let us boast and take pride in You alone.
Help us to remember that you are a very present help in trouble.
Praise you that there is no other name by which we must be saved.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 by Seth Dunn

2 Timothy 4:1-4

On a recent Sunday night, I received a call from the Youth Pastor of the church at which I serve on Wednesday nights.  He was not going to be able to make the upcoming Wednesday night youth activity. His grandfather had died, his family would be receiving guests that night, and he needed me to teach the coming week’s lesson.  It was not my turn on the teaching schedule.  In fact, I hadn’t taught the lesson in some time.  I wasn’t even aware of what passage of the Bible from which he had planned to teach until I got the call.  It was short notice.

Paul wrote the 2^nd Epistle to Timothy from a Roman prison.  He was out of pocket to say the least.  In his letter he charged Timothy to, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”  The meaning of this language can easily be lost upon modern, 1^st world, post-industrial revolution readers.  Paul and Timothy lived in Agrarian society where there were but two times: in season and out of season.  Basically, Paul was telling Timothy to always be ready to preach the gospel.

Perhaps Paul was hearkening back to the words of Jesus that we now have recorded in John 4:35.  In this verse Jesus is quoting an ancient proverb about biding one’s time in until the harvest is ready.  In the context of John 4:35, Jesus was telling his disciples that the harvest time was upon them and that they would soon reap what he had sewn.  “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor,” Jesus told them. 

Paul’s time on Earth was coming to an end and it was up to his young charge, Timothy, to carry on preaching the gospel.  Paul warned Timothy that his audience would not endure sound doctrine but rather would desire teaching and teachers that “tickled their ears.”  These words are still pertinent today.

There is great temptation in today’s youth ministry climate to tickle the ears of young people to keep them interested in the church.   It takes great patience and great instruction to preach sound doctrine to anyone, especially youths.  In my short-notice situation, I was reminded of Paul’s words to always be ready to preach sound doctrine with great patience.

Lord, give us a harvest of souls to reap in your name.
Lord, give us the patience to endure sound doctrine and the humility to receive it.
Lord, fill us with the power of the ever-ready power of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 40:27 - 31 by Seth Dunn

Isaiah 40:27-31

In almost any Christian bookstore, one doesn’t have to look very hard to find these words from the prophet Isaiah:

“Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

I’ve seen these words imprinted on everything from a bookmark to a bronze statue of an eagle. The language of this passage is clearly figurative, but it is no less encouraging. These words are powerful. We live in a world that is wrought with injustice, befuddled by confusion, and besieged with weariness. The hopeful words from the prophet Isaiah communicate to the children of God that these maladies will ultimately be overcome by those who wait upon the Lord, who is just, understanding, and strong. 

If we are not careful, we can misunderstand and misapply the meaning of this passage. This passage is not axiomatic. This passage is not something to read off of a motivational poster for a pick-up on a day when we haven’t gotten enough sleep. It’s not a passage to pray over when it’s 4^th and goal with 3 seconds left in the game and our running back is playing on an injured leg. This passage is not a proverb.

This passage is a prophecy.

When Dr. Don Hataway, Senior Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, preaches from the book of Proverbs, he often prefaces the reading of a saying from that book with the following sentence, “It’s a proverb, not a promise.”  In other words, the sayings from the book of Proverbs aren’t necessarily guarantees. They are sayings from Wisdom literature…truisms.

Isaiah is not a book of truisms.  Isaiah is a book of prophecy. Isaiah didn’t give us proverbs, he gave us promises. Some of them, like the coming of the Lord Jesus, have already come to pass. Others are yet to come. Those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength and never grow weary. This is a prophecy and a promise from God. It will happen in the eschaton and we can look forward to and rejoice in that day.

Lord, give us the patience to wait upon you
Thank you for the savior you have given us in Christ
Thank you for the life you will give us in the resurrection.

Colossians 1:15-20 by Seth Dunn

Colossians 1:15-20

A&E’s Duck Dynasty, a reality show, is currently one of the highest rated programs on television (of any type).   On February 27, 2013, its season three premier drew 8.6 million viewers.   This was a record for an A&E show, though the ratings were hardly a surprise.  Despite the show’s formulaic format, Duck Dynasty’s popularity has only risen since its debut in in March of 2012.  Its soaring popularity is due mostly to viewer interest in the show’s colorful “cast” of “characters” from the Robertson Family, owners of the Duck Commander brand and subjects of the show.

One of these characters is family patriarch, Phil Robertson.  Almost every show ends with Phil asking a blessing over a family meal.  In his prayer, Phil usually utters the words, “Thank you Lord for another day on planet Earth.”  People unfamiliar with the New Testament might hear these words and think little if anything about them.  After all, what is so special about another day on planet Earth that God should be specifically thanked for it?  Phil is a millionaire with a large family and he’s thanking God for just another day?!?!  Surely waking up, going about one’s day, and eating one’s dinner isn’t anything special.  It happens every day.  It’s not a miracle, it is?

It is a miracle.  Phil’s prayer exhibits an understanding of a deep theological truth.  All things hold together in Christ.  (Colossians 1:17).  Every second of every day, Christ is sustaining existence itself.  Every day on planet Earth is a gift of God to be appreciated.   All things were created through Christ (John 1:3) and it is He whole perpetuates our existence.  We should thank God every day for that.

Dear God, thank you for Jesus and another day on planet Earth.

Job 1:1-12 by Seth Dunn

Job 1:1-12

“Have you considered My servant Seth?”

I wonder if God will ever ask Satan this question about me. On the one hand, it would be an indicator that I was living a blameless and upright life before the Lord. On the other hand, it would be an indicator that Satan was about to be put me through the wringer.

Long ago, God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job.” Job, a very wealthy man, lost all his worldly possessions when God removed the hedge of protection He had placed around Job and allowed Satan to affect Job’s life. Job even lost his wife and children to the devices of the devil. Satan took everything from Job but his very life.
The Bible says, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

People have a tendency, when calamity befalls them, to blame God and even act out in a sinful manner. They also have a tendency to wonder if God is punishing them for some heinous sin they have committed. (John 9:2). But who among us ever affixes the blame for our misfortune to Satan?

As in the days of Job, Satan is roaming the earth seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is on a clear mission to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) Maybe he has already destroyed something in your life. But one thing he cannot destroy or devour, if you have placed your faith in God through his son Jesus Christ, is your life itself. 

It is your life that Jesus came to save, not your possessions. Find your value in serving God and not in the things that Satan can take away.
Praise be to the name of the Lord

Matthew 13:1-23 by Seth Dunn

Matthew 13:1-23

I was very blessed today to witness six baptisms.  Five of the people getting baptized were adults.  If you are familiar with salvation statistics, you know how rare it is for a person to come to faith in Christ after age 17.  So seeing God work in the hearts of older people was an extra special blessing.  

The baptisms were done in river at the Lake Alatoona day use area here in Cartersville.  As the final baptism was performed, an alarm sounded.  The dam up river was opening to let more water pass through.  The pace of the current was quickening and the water was level was rising.  The erstwhile catechumen and the pastor hurried out of the river away from danger.

What a picture of what may come in this life.  As Jesus illustrates in the Parable of the Sower, persecution and worry don’t necessarily end when we finally grasp the gospel, thereby subverting the devious machinations of Satan.  I pray that these new Christians will abide firmly within the Father’s hand, bearing fruit one hundred fold. 

Let’s all take time to consider that the great commission doesn't end with baptism but includes discipleship and accountability within Christian community. Praise Jesus for the increase to his kingdom today.

Mark 4:35-41 by Seth Dunn

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” 

Mark 4:35 - 41

In the month of February 2013, tornadoes devastated Adairsville, GA, just north of my home in Cartersville.  Unfortunately, this is not all unusual in the part of the country in which I live.  Later that same month, a tornado destroyed significant parts of Hattiesburg, MS.  A friend of mine captured that foreboding storm on video and it was broadcast nationally on the Weather Channel.  In both locations, people watched helplessly as the forces of nature destroyed life and property.  After the storms had passed, the best people could do was to gather together to clean-up and rebuild.  This pattern has repeated itself down through the centuries.  Despite mankind’s great technical and societal progress, there is little it can do to stand against the powerful forms of nature.  Storms, earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, and tornadoes continue to wreak havoc upon mankind.  Sometimes these events bring out the best in human nature; sometimes they bring out the worst.

The gospels recount a story of bad weather bringing out the worst in Jesus’ disciples, exposing their crippling lack of faith.  Even in the presence of God incarnate, they still feared the weather.  Jesus, the divine ruler of the universe, calmed the weather simply by telling the wind and Sea, “Hush, be still.”  After doing so he reprimanded his disciples saying, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

This led the disciples to ask one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”  This question is still pertinent today.  As we are tossed about by the storms of life, both tangible and metaphorical, we must consider Jesus.  Who is Jesus that even the wind and sea obey Him?  He is the Lord of the universe, so much greater than we.

When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me
When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship out on the sea
Thou who rulest wind and water
Stand by me

Matthew 11:28-30 by Seth Dunn

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Rush hour traffic in Atlanta is heavy and wearying to say the least.  Every weekday morning and afternoon scores of drivers get behind the wheels of their cars, alone, and clog the Atlanta interstates in an effort to get to and from work. As they slowly make their ways towards their destinations drivers find different ways to pass the time: some listen to the radio, some smoke, some put on make-up. All of them wait. On the days when it rains or a wreck occurs, they wait even longer.

There is a respite for some. In certain parts of Atlanta, HOV (High Occupancy Vehicles) lanes are relatively traffic-free, even during rush hour. Traffic in these lanes moves at a much faster and less frustrating pace.  There is a price to pay for this convenience, however.  Only vehicles with two or more riders are allowed in the HOV lanes.  Thus, to use the HOV lane, one must give up his autonomy.  A passenger in a car riding in the HOV lane cannot choose when to speed up and when to slow down, what programming to listen to on the radio, or when he can light up a cigarette.  He must defer to the driver. However, the burden of the driver in the HOV is light compared to the alternative.

When we let Jesus lead us to our destination, we are unburdened by the heavy yoke of the world and given rest in Him.

Lord give us rest in you from the weariness of the world.

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43 by Seth Dunn

²⁴ Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. ²⁷ The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."" 

Matthew 13:24-30

³⁶ Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 

Matthew 13:36-43

Wrigley's Skittles are one of my favorite confections, for the most part. There are five flavors of Skittles that come together in a bag, but I only like four of them. I do not like lemon-flavored yellow Skittles. I do not like lime-flavored green Skittles either, but in 2013 the Wrigley's changed the flavor of green Skittle's from lime to green apple (which I like). Wrigley's experimented with this flavor change in 2001, but much to my chagrin it didn't stick. I have to say that I'm happy that they are trying this experiment again...but I really have no control of what kind of Skittles Wrigley's puts in the bag. I have to take what I get whenever I get a bag of Skittles and what I get is all five flavors.

The first thing I do when I get a bag of Skittles is pick out all the yellows and throw them in the garbage. After that, I enjoy what candy is left in the bag. I don't throw away an entire bag of Skittles just because the lemon-flavored Skittles are mixed in with the flavors I want.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches that God is very selective. There are both wheat and tares in the field. When harvest time comes, he will separate the good from the bad. At harvest time, don't be the yellow Skittles in God's bag of candy.

Lord make us ripe for the Harvest and give us a home in your barn.

Revelation 3:19 by Seth Dunn

¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:19

It is ultimately man’s sinful nature that separates him from Holy God.  The final punishment for the unrepentant sinner is an eternity in Hell away from God.  While Christians generally agree upon this, often people ask, “Does God judge some sins more harshly than others while we are here on Earth?”

We find the answer to this question from general revelation as well as from Scripture:Some sins are so detrimental to the self that God’s world seems to be a miserable place for those who partake in them.  For example, Ernest Hemingway wrote, “Of all men the drunkard is the foulest. The thief when he is not stealing is like another. The extortioner does not practice in the home. The murderer when he is at home can wash his hands. But the drunkard stinks and vomits in this own bed and dissolves his organs in alcohol.”
  

Scripture shows that God’s punishment is not always specifically prescriptive, however. The Bible gives numerous examples of harsh punishment from God for a certain sinful act.  God removed Saul from the throne of Israel for his disobedience.  (1 Samuel 15:28) David and Bathsheba lost a child as a result of the commission of murder and adultery.  (2 Samuel 12:14) Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives as a result of lying to the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 5:1-11)

We often don’t understand God’s motives and reasons for what he does (Isaiah 55:8-9).  It is best to remember that all sin is an affront to God and repent where we err.

Lord, discipline us when we trespass, forgive us of our sins, and keep us in your care.