THE KIND OF CHRISTIAN I WANT TO BE!
 

JUDE 14-16

1. YEARS AGO, JANE WELSH, THE WIFE OF JOHN WELSH, AND DAUGHTER OF JOHN KNOX, WAS TOLD, WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS IN PRISON FOR PREACHING, THAT IF SHE WOULD INFLUENCE HER HUSBAND TO RENOUNCE THE PROTESTANT FAITH, THAT HER LIFE WOULD BE SPARED.

2. AT THE TIME SHE WAS TOLD THIS NEWS SHE WAS WEARING AN APRON. SHE, THEN, TOOK THE CORNERS OF THAT APRON, AND FOLDED THEM UP. SHE HELD IT OUT LIKE A BASKET, LOOKED BACK INTO THE FACES OF THOSE WHO STOOD BEFORE HER AND SAID, "I WOULD RATHER CATCH HIS HEAD IN AN APRON THAN FOR HE, OR I, TO RENOUNCE OUR SAVIOR!" 1

3. IN THESE DAYS, SAD TO SAY, ONE OF THE TRADEMARKS OF THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN IS ONE OF NO COMMITMENT, AND UNFAITHFULNESS. IN FACT, IF YOU WERE TO ASK THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN WHAT PERCENTAGE OF FAITHFULNESS WOULD BE REQUIRED, NO DOUBT, THE MAJORITY ANSWER WOULD BE THAT 100% FAITHFULNESS IS NOT REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES, FOR ALL THINGS.

4. HOWEVER, STATISTICS TELL US THAT IF 99.9% OF FAITHFULNESS IS GOOD ENOUGH, THEN:

o 2 MILLION DOCUMENTS WILL BE LOST BY THE IRS THIS YEAR

o 12 BABIES WILL BE GIVEN TO THE WRONG FAMILIES IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS

o 291 PACEMAKER OPERATIONS WILL BE PERFORMED INCORRECTLY

o 20,000 INCORRECT DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS WILL BE WRITTEN; AND,

o 114,500 MISMATCHED PAIRS OF SHOES WILL BE SHIPPED. 2

5. I SUBMIT UNTO YOU, FRIEND, IF THE LORD JESUS GAVE US ONLY 99.9% SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS, EVERYONE OF US WOULD BE IN HELL TONIGHT, OR ON OUR WAY TO HELL. BUT, WHILE WE EXPECT THE LORD TO GIVE US 100% FAITHFULNESS ALL OF THE TIME, FOR SOME REASON WE HAVE CONVINCED OURSELVES THAT WE CAN GET BY WITH LESS.

6. LET'S CONSIDER THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE POPULATION OF OUR COUNTY IS OVER 200 MILLION. OF THOSE, 84 MILLION ARE RETIRED. THAT LEAVES 116 MILLION TO DO THE WORK. THERE ARE 75 MILLION IN SCHOOL, WHICH LEAVES 41 MILLION TO DO THE WORK. OF THIS 22 MILLION ARE EMPLOYED BY THE GOVERNMENT, WHICH LEAVES 19 MILLION TO DO THE WORK.

7. THERE ARE 4 MILLION IN THE ARMED FORCES, WHICH LEAVES 15 MILLION TO DO THE WORK. FROM THAT, TAKE THE TOTAL OF 14,800,000 WHO WORK FOR THE STATE AND CITY GOVERNMENTS, AND THAT LEAVES 200,000 TO DO THE WORK. THERE ARE 188,000 IN HOSPITALS EVERYDAY, WHICH LEAVES 12,000 TO DO THE WORK. THERE ARE 11,998 PEOPLE IN PRISON EVERYDAY. THAT LEAVES ONLY 2 PEOPLE TO DO THE WORK. YOU AND ME! 3

8. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS GOD REQUIRES OF THOSE WHO ARE SAVED IS THAT THEY BE FAITHFUL. THE APOSTLE PAUL OUTLINED IT IN 1 CORINTHIANS 4:2, "MOREOVER IT IS REQUIRED IN STEWARDS, THAT A MAN BE FOUND FAITHFUL."

9. THE WORD 'STEWARD' MEANS "A MANAGER." IT WAS USED TO SPEAK OF A HOUSE MANAGER WHO WAS IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF A HOUSEHOLD.

10. HOWEVER, THIS IS A TERM THAT APPLIES TO MUCH MORE THAN PASTORS, AND PREACHERS. IT SPEAKS OF ALL WHO HAVE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD. THE FACT IS THAT EVERY ONE OF US AS BELIEVERS HAS BEEN MADE STEWARDS. THAT IS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT GOD HAS ENTRUSTED TO US, AND GIVEN US CONTROL OVER. IT MAY BE TIME, TALENT, TITHE, OR TREASURES. BUT, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, GOD HAS ENTRUSTED THOSE THINGS TO US, AND THE FIRST THING HE DEMANDS OF US, AND REQUIRES OF US IS THAT WE BE FAITHFUL.

11. AS WE COME TO THE VERSES BEFORE US, TONIGHT, WE ARE GIVEN A BLESSED DESCRIPTION OF ONE OF GOD'S CHOICEST STEWARDS. HE IS A MAN BY THE NAME OF ENOCH, AND MY PERSONAL BIBLE HERO.

12. ENOCH IS A MAN THAT IS ONLY MENTIONED 3 TIMES IN THE WORD OF GOD. BUT, OF WHAT LITTLE WE DO KNOW OF HIM, WE DO KNOW THAT HE WAS A MAN FAMILIAR WITH GOD, FAVORED BY GOD, AND FAITHFUL TO GOD. AND, AS I HAVE EXAMINED HIS LIFE, AS MENTIONED IN THESE VERSES, HE CAUSES ME TO SAY, THAT'S "THE KIND OF CHRISTIAN I WANT TO BE!" BRIEFLY, LET'S NOTICE 3 TRUTHS ABOUT ENOCH'S LIFE OF FAITHFULNESS.

1. THE MAN THAT PERSONIFIED FAITHFULNESS!

1. IN VERSE 14, JUDE DESCRIBES TO US A MAN WHO PERSONIFIED FAITHFULNESS. HIS LIFE WAS AN EPITOME OF THE WORD BY HIS PERSON, AND HIS PRACTICE. IN FACT, NOTICE AS:

A. WE SEE THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE MAN

1. NOTICE VERSE 14. "AND ENOCH ALSO, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM, PROPHESIED OF THESE, SAYING, BEHOLD, THE LORD COMETH WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS."

2. I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE NAME 'ENOCH'. THE NAME 'ENOCH' MEANS "DEDICATED ONE, OR COMMITTED ONE." THUS, BY THE VERY MENTION OF HIS NAME WE SEE THE MEANING OF HIS LIFE.

3. HIS LIFE WAS ONE OF DEDICATION, SURRENDER, AND COMMITMENT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. HE WAS SOLD-OUT TO GOD.

4. I THINK OF THE LITTLE ANIMAL KNOWN AS THE 'BUMBLEBEE.' ACCORDING TO THE THEORY OF AERODYNAMICS, THE BUMBLEBEE SHOULD BE TOTALLY UNABLE TO FLY. BECAUSE OF THE SIZE, WEIGHT, AND SHAPE OF ITS BODY, IN RELATIONSHIP TO ITS WING SPAN, FLYING IS SCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. HOWEVER, THE LITTLE BUMBLEBEE, BEING COMPLETELY IGNORANT OF SCIENTIFIC THEORY, GOES AHEAD AND FLIES ANYWAY, AND MAKES HONEY EVERYDAY OF HIS LIFE. 4

5. HAD SOMEONE TOLD ENOCH THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE FOR GOD, IN HIS DAY, HE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT. HE WAS DEDICATED, SURRENDERED, AND COMMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD, THE WORK OF GOD, AND THE WAY OF GOD. I SUBMIT UNTO YOU, THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD BIOGRAPHY!

B. WE SEE THE BACKGROUND OF THE MAN

1. NOTICE VERSE 14. "AND ENOCH ALSO, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM." WE NOT ONLY GAIN A SNAPSHOT OF HIS BIOGRAPHY, BUT HIS BACKGROUND.

2. I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE PHRASE, "THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM." IT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT PHRASE.

3. THE SEVEN GENERATIONS FROM ADAM ARE LISTED AS BEING ADAM, SETH, ENOS, CAINAN, MAHALALEEL, JARED, AND ENOCH.

4. AS YOU KNOW, UP UNTIL GENESIS 5, ALL OF THE DESCENDANTS OF ADAM CAME THROUGH EITHER CAIN OR ABLE. EACH REPRESENTED A DISTINCT LINE, OR RACE OF PEOPLE. FOR EXAMPLE, CAIN REPRESENTED THE UNGODLY LINE, AND ABEL REPRESENTED THE GODLY LINE. WHEN CAIN ROSE UP AND SLEW HIS BROTHER, THE GODLY LINE WAS DESTROYED, AND ONLY THE UNGODLY LINE REMAINED.

5. BUT, IN GENESIS 5, WE'RE TOLD THAT ADAM BROUGHT FORTH ANOTHER SON, AND THEY CALLED HIS NAME 'SETH.' THUS, IT WAS THROUGH THIS BOY, SETH, THAT THE GODLY LINE WAS RESTORED, AND GOD, ONCE AGAIN ESTABLISHED HIS LINE. IT WAS THROUGH THIS LINE OF SETH THAT ENOCH WAS BROUGHT FORTH.

6. ALSO, IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT IN GENESIS 5: 1, WE READ, "THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM." HOWEVER, NOWHERE ELSE IS THAT STATEMENT FOUND IN GENESIS, OR IN THE REST OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. THIS STATEMENT, ALSO, CONVEYS AN UNDERLYING TRUTH THROUGHOUT THE PAGES OF THE WORD OF GOD. IT DENOTES ALL OF THE FALLEN DESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST ADAM.

7. HOWEVER, AS WE COME TO MATTHEW 1: 1, WE READ, "THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF JESUS." THIS STATEMENT BEARS GREAT SIGNIFICANCE IN THAT IT DENOTES NOT THE FALLEN DESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST ADAM, BUT THE REDEEMED THROUGH THE SECOND ADAM.

8. THUS, IT WAS CLEARLY GOD'S INTENTION TO RESTORE HIS GODLY LINE THROUGH SETH, AND IT WOULD BE THROUGH THAT RESTORATION THAT HE WOULD BRING FORTH THE FAITHFUL PATRIARCH ENOCH.

9. IT'S ALSO INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT JUDE REFERS TO ENOCH AS BEING, "THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM." WE ARE TOLD THAT '7', IN SCRIPTURE, IS THE NUMBER OF PERFECTION. THUS, WE CANNOT HELP BUT CONCLUDE THAT IF ENOCH WAS THE 'SEVENTH FROM ADAM,' THEN GOD'S PLAN TO RESTORE HIS LINE, AND BRING ENOCH FORTH THROUGH IT, WAS NOTHING LESS THAN THE PERFECT, SOVEREIGN PLAN OF GOD HIMSELF. WE WOULD HAVE TO CONCLUDE WITH MARK, WHEN HE SAID, IN MARK 7: 37, "HE HATH DONE ALL THINGS WELL."

10. THUS, JUDE REMINDS US THAT GOD HAD A PLAN, A PURPOSE, AND A PLACE FOR ENOCH. IT WAS NOT A MERE ACCIDENT, BUT A MIGHTY APPOINTMENT. THUS, HIS BIOGRAPHY, AND HIS BACKGROUND REVEALED TO US THE MAN THAT PERSONIFIED FAITHFULNESS!

2. THE MESSAGE THAT PROCLAIMED FAITHFULNESS!

1. IN VERSES 14 AND 15, JUDE CONTINUES HIS DISCUSSION OF THIS FAITHFUL MAN OF GOD, BUT NOT ONLY REMINDED US OF THE MAN, BUT THE MESSAGE THAT PROCLAIMED FAITHFULNESS. HIS WAS A MESSAGE THAT WAS TRUE TO THE WORD OF GOD.

A. IT WAS A MESSAGE THAT BORE CONDEMNATION

1. NOTICE VERSE 14. "AND ENOCH ALSO, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM, PROPHESIED OF THESE, SAYING, BEHOLD, THE LORD COMETH WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS."

2. THE WORD 'JUDGMENT' THAT IS USED IS AN INTERESTING WORD. THE WORD SPEAKS OF "A STRONG ACCUSATION." THE WORD DESCRIBES A COURTROOM SETTING WHERE A JURY IS TRYING A CASE, AND THE PROSECUTION IS PRESENTING THEIR ACCUSATION AGAINST THE DEFENDANT.

3. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT ENOCH'S MESSAGE PROCLAIMED. ENOCH'S MESSAGE WAS THAT GOD'S WRATH WAS ON ITS WAY, AND PAYDAY WAS COMING.

4. IN FACT, YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT ENOCH WAS A FORERUNNER TO A MAN BY THE NAME OF NOAH. HE IS THE ONLY PROPHET BEFORE THE FLOOD THAT WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.

5. THUS, FOR 300 YEARS, BEFORE HIS GREAT-GRANDSON NOAH, ENOCH PREPARED THE WAY BEFORE HIM, AND PREACHED THAT GOD IS THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, AND HE IS GOING TO JUDGE THE EARTH.

6. IN FACT, AS A 65-YEAR-OLD MAN, GOD GAVE ENOCH A SON BY THE NAME OF METHUSELAH, WHICH MEANS, "WHEN HE SHALL DIE, IT SHALL BE SENT;" IN REFERENCE TO THE FLOOD.

7. THUS, IT WAS IF GOD WAS SAYING, 'ENOCH, I'VE GIVEN YOU THIS BOY, AND AS LONG AS THIS BOY LIVES, I WILL SPARE MY JUDGMENT. BUT, WHEN HE DIES, JUDGMENT IS COMING.'

8. AS YOU KNOW, METHUSELAH BECAME THE OLDEST MAN IN THE BIBLE, 969 YEARS, AS A PICTURE OF THE LONGSUFFERING, AND GRACE OF GOD IN HOLDING BACK HIS WRATH.

9. HOWEVER, ENOCH WAS NOT AWARE OF HOW LONG HIS BOY WOULD LIVE. HE ONLY KNEW THAT AS LONG AS HE DID LIVE, THAT WAS HOW LONG HE HAD TO SERVE GOD, BE FAITHFUL TO GOD, AND PREACH THE WORD OF GOD. AND, HE PREPARED THE WAY FOR NOAH, THE PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

10. I SUBMIT UNTO YOU, TODAY, FRIEND, THAT AS A PREACHER OF THE INHERENT, INFALLIBLE, AND INCORRUPTIBLE WORD OF GOD, THAT JUDGMENT IS COMING. SOMEONE HAS SAID, "IF GOD DOESN'T JUDGE AMERICA, HE'LL HAVE TO DIG SODOM OUT OF THE GRAVE AND OFFER HER A FORMAL APOLOGY!"

11. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE AND NOT PAY THE PRICE. ONE CANNOT LIVE UNGODLY, AND IMMORALLY AND GET BY WITH IT. THUS, IF AMERICA DOESN'T GET BACK TO GOD, GOD WILL GET BACK AT AMERICA!

12. I REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT POPULAR PREACHING, NOR IS IT POLITICALLY CORRECT. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT IS PART OF OUR PROBLEM, WE HAVE LET THE SECULAR, LIBERAL FORCES OF THIS WORLD DETER US FROM PREACHING THE INFALLIBLE TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE.

13. C. H. MACKINTOSH SAID, "THE PREACHER'S OBJECT IS NOT TO TEACH DOCTRINES, THOUGH DOCTRINES MUST BE TAUGHT; HIS OBJECT IS NOT TO EXPOUND SCRIPTURE, THOUGH SCRIPTURE MUST BE EXPOUNDED. THESE THINGS LIE WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE TEACHER OR LECTURER; BUT LET IT NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, THE PREACHER'S OBJECT IS TO BRING THE SAVIOR AND THE SINNER TOGETHER BY WITNESSING THE PLAN OF GOD, AND WELL AS THE PUNISHMENT OF GOD!" 5

14. I THINK OF THE TIME WHEN THE GREAT PREACHER, GEORGE WHITFIELD, WAS GOING THROUGH EDINBURGH GETTING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR BEDS AT 5 A.M. TO HEAR HIS PREACHING. ON ONE OCCASION, ONE MAN, ON HIS WAY TO THE TABERNACLE MET DAVID HUME, THE SCOTTISH PHILOSOPHER AND SKEPTIC. SURPRISED AT SEEING HIM ON HIS WAY TO HEAR WHITFIELD, THE MAN SAID, "I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL?" HUME REPLIED, "I DON'T, BUT WHITFIELD DOES!" 6

15. I SUBMIT UNTO YOU, IT IS STILL THE BOOK, THE BLOOD, AND THE BLESSED HOPE. THOUGH YEARS HAVE CHANGED, PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED, TIME HAS CHANGED, AND METHODS HAVE CHANGED, THE WORD OF GOD HAS NEVER, NOR WILL EVER CHANGE.

16. THUS, WE ARE NOT CARRYING A TITLE, WE ARE CARRYING THE TRUTH. AND, WHILE ENOCH WOULD NOT HAVE WON THE 'MOST POPULAR' AWARD IN HIS COMMUNITY, HE STAYED TRUE TO THE WORD OF GOD, AND HIS MESSAGE BORE CONDEMNATION!

B. IT WAS A MESSAGE THAT BROUGHT CONVICTION

1. NOTICE VERSE 15. "TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT UPON ALL, AND TO CONVINCE ALL THAT ARE UNGODLY AMONG THEM OF ALL THEIR UNGODLY DEEDS WHICH THEY HAVE UNGODLY COMMITTED, AND OF ALL THEIR HARD SPEECHES WHICH UNGODLY SINNERS HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST THEM."

2. THE WORD 'CONVINCE' THAT IS USED SPEAKS OF "REBUKING, REPROVING, OR TO PRODUCE CONVICTION." THE WORD IS FOUND ONLY ONE OTHER TIME IN SCRIPTURE, TITUS 1: 9, WHERE PAUL EXHORTS TITUS TO BE, "HOLDING FAST THE FAITHFUL WORD AS HE HATH BEEN TAUGHT, THAT HE MAY BE ABLE BY SOUND DOCTRINE BOTH TO EXHORT AND TO CONVINCE THE GAINSAYERS."

3. ENOCH'S MESSAGE NOT ONLY BORE CONDEMNATION, BUT ALSO IT BROUGHT CONVICTION. HE CALLED SIN BY ITS RIGHTFUL NAME, SIN. HE CALLED WRONG WHAT IT IS, WRONG. AND, HE CALLED TRUTH WHAT IT SHOULD BE, TRUTH!

4. I NEED NOT REMIND YOU THAT, THROUGH THE YEARS, WE HAVE FOUND A WAY TO CALL SIN EVERYTHING BUT WHAT IT IS. IN FACT, THE CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS HAVE DEVISED MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY TO DESCRIBE, WHEN THE WHOLE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS SIN. AS RAY STEDMAN SAID, "THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM IS THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART!"

5. WHILE WE MUST PREACH THE LOVE OF GOD, THE GRACE OF GOD, THE MERCY OF GOD, AND THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD; WE MUST NEVER FORGET THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, THE WRATH OF GOD, AND THE ANGER OF GOD. HE STILL HATES SIN, AND WILL DEAL WITH IT.

6. I AM NOT SPEAKING OF A 'LEGALIST' APPROACH TO CHRISTIANITY; BUT, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE REASON THAT WE'RE SEEING THINGS TODAY THAT WERE NOT EVEN MENTIONED 50 YEARS AGO IS BECAUSE WE'RE COMPROMISED THE WORD OF GOD.

7. HOWEVER, THE BLAME DOESN'T REST ON THE PEW, BUT RATHER ON THE PULPIT. PREACHERS HAVE SO WATERED DOWN THE WORD OF GOD TO WHERE IT HAS BECOME NOTHING MORE THAN A 'SOCIAL GOSPEL,' WHICH TELLS PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE ALL-RIGHT, AND THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, BECAUSE GOD LOVES THEM ANYWAY.

8. THE SIMPLE SOLUTION IS THE RETURN TO THE STANDARD OF THE WORD OF GOD. WE NEED NOT LOOK FOR A LINE TO BE DRAWN IN THE SAND, THE WORD OF GOD HAS ALREADY DRAWN THE LINE, AND IT IS NOT A MATTER OF DEBATE, DISCUSSION, OR DELIBERATION. IT IS STILL ABSOLUTE TRUTH.

9. ENOCH WAS A MAN WHO WAS TRUE TO THE WORD OF GOD. HE CARRIED A MESSAGE THAT BORE CONDEMNATION, AND A MESSAGE THAT BROUGHT CONVICTION. HIS MESSAGE WAS ONE THAT PROCLAIMED FAITHFULNESS! 

3. THE MINISTRY THAT PRODUCED FAITHFULNESS!

1. IN CONCLUSION OF THIS SECTION OF HIS EPISTLE, JUDE NOT ONLY SPEAKS OF THE MAN, ENOCH, THAT PERSONIFIED FAITHFULNESS, AND THE MESSAGE THAT PROCLAIMED FAITHFULNESS; BUT, THE MINISTRY THAT PRODUCED FAITHFULNESS. IN FACT, WE'RE ENLIGHTENED TO SOME TRUTHS ABOUT THE DAY IN WHICH ENOCH LIVED.

A. A PRODUCTIVE MINISTRY IN A WICKED DAY

1. NOTICE VERSE 15. "TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT UPON ALL, AND TO CONVINCE ALL THAT ARE UNGODLY AMONG THEM OF ALL THEIR UNGODLY DEEDS WHICH THEY HAVE UNGODLY COMMITTED, AND OF ALL THEIR HARD SPEECHES WHICH UNGODLY SINNERS HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST HIM."

2. I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO ONE WORD THAT IS USED 4 TIMES IN VERSE 15. IT IS THE WORD 'UNGODLY.' THE WORD SPEAKS OF THE DAY IN WHICH ENOCH LIVED.

3. WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THE DAYS IN DISCUSSION HERE IS THE DAYS PRECEDING THE FLOOD. IN GENESIS 6:5, WE'RE TOLD, "GOD SAW THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT IN THE EARTH, AND THAT EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY."

4. THUS, ENOCH LIVED IN A WICKED, AND UNGODLY. HE LIVED IN A TIME, MUCH LIKE OUR TIME, WHERE RIGHT WAS CONSIDERED WRONG, AND WRONG WAS CONSIDERED RIGHT. HE LIVED IN A DAY WHERE THE SIN WAS JUSTIFIED, AND THE ACT WAS AMPLIFIED. YET, THROUGH IT ALL, HE STAYED TO THE WORD OF GOD. HE DIDN'T BUCKLE, HE DIDN'T BEND, AND HE DIDN'T BUDGE. AND, HE HAD A PRODUCTIVE MINISTRY IN A WICKED DAY.

B. A PRODUCTIVE MINISTRY IN A WORLDLY DAY

1. NOTICE VERSE 16. "THESE ARE MURMURERS, COMPLAINERS, WALKING AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS; AND THEIR MOUTHS SPEAKETH GREAT SWELLING WORDS, HAVING MEN'S PERSONS IN ADMIRATION, BECAUSE OF ADVANTAGE."

2. THE VERSE DEPICTS A GRUMBLING ATTITUDE, A GLIB ACCUSATION, A GROTESQUE ACTIVITY, AND A GROSS ARROGANCE. HE LIVED IN A DAY OF UNGODLINESS, FLESHLINESS, WICKEDNESS, AND WORLDLINESS. YET, HE REMAINED FAITHFUL.

3. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN I READ VERSE 16, I NOT ONLY THINK OF OUR DAY IN A SECULAR MANNER, BUT I THINK OF OUR DAY IN A SPIRITUAL MANNER. AS I READ THOSE WORDS, I SEE THE PICTURE OF MANY CHURCH MEMBERS, "MURMURERS, COMPLAINERS, WALKING AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS; AND THEIR MOUTH SPEAKETH GREAT SWELLING WORDS, HAVING MEN'S PERSON IN ADMIRATION BECAUSE OF ADVANTAGE."

4. THE IDEA IS OF BACKBITERS (MURMURERS), AND ONES WHO ARE NEVER HAPPY (COMPLAINERS.) IT SPEAKS OF THOSE WHO USE FLATTERY (SPEAKING GREAT SWELLING WORDS) TO GET WHAT THEY WANT (HAVING MEN'S PERSON IN ADMIRATION BECAUSE OF ADVANTAGE.) I ASK YOU, DOES THAT DESCRIBE MANY A CHRISTIAN TODAY? DO YOU KNOW ANYONE LIKE THAT?

5. I SUBMIT UNTO YOU, FRIEND, THE REASON WE HAVE NOT HAD MORE INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD, IS BECAUSE THE WORLD HAS HAD SO MUCH INFLUENCE ON US. THE REASON THE LOST MAN SEES NO DIFFERENCE IN US, IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE ABOUT US. WE LIVE IN WICKEDNESS AND WORLDLINESS, AND WE HAVE SUCCUMBED TO IT.

6. THOUGH ENOCH IN AN UNDESIRABLE DAY, AN UNPOPULAR, AND AN UNGODLY DAY, HE STILL SERVED GOD, AND WALKED WITH GOD. AS A RESULT, HE HAD A PRODUCTIVE MINISTRY IN A WICKED DAY, AND A PRODUCTIVE MINISTRY IN A WORLDLY DAY. HIS WAS A MINISTRY THAT PRODUCED FAITHFULNESS.

7. DURING THE YEARS OF THE SCOTTISH REFORMATION, A MAN WHOM GOD GREATLY USED, WAS A MAN BY THE NAME OF GEORGE WISHART. WISHART WAS A MAN WHO STOOD IN THE FACE OF SHEER OPPOSITION AND STILL REPRESENTED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. EVENTUALLY, HE WAS EXECUTED FOR THE FAITH FOR WHICH HE BELIEVED AND STOOD.

8. AT HIS EXECUTION, WISHART WAS TIED TO THE STAKE, AS GUARDS SURROUNDED HIM. HE LOOKED THROUGH THE COURTYARD OF THE CASTLE TO A STREET LINED WITH SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS. AS THEY PREPARED TO IGNITE THE FIRE THAT WOULD CONSUME HIS BODY, GEORGE WISHART FELL TO HIS KNEES, AND PRAYED, "CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BE NOT OFFENDED AT THE WORD OF GOD ON ACCOUNT OF WHAT YOU SEE PREPARED FOR ME. LOVE THE WORD, AND SUFFER PATIENTLY FOR THE GOSPEL'S SAKE. SHOULD ANY OF YOU BE CALLED UPON TO ENDURE PERSECUTION, FEAR NOT THOSE WHO CAN DESTROY THE BODY, FOR THEY CANNOT SLAY THE SOUL. I HAVE SERVED CHRIST WITH GLADNESS OF SOUL, AND I WOULD GLADLY DO IT AGAIN!" WITHIN MINUTES, THE FLAMES REACHED HIS BODY, AND GEORGE WISHART WAS DEAD.

9. AMONG THOSE GATHERED THAT DAY WAS A MAN WHOM WISHART HAD WON TO CHRIST. THE YOUNG MAN WATCHED, CLENCHED HIS FISTS, AND WIPED TEARS FROM HIS EYES AS HE WATCHED HIS HERO IN THE FAITH GIVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS FAITH. THE MAN'S NAME WAS JOHN KNOX. AND, THAT DAY, BECAUSE OF THE TESTIMONY OF GEORGE WISHART, JOHN KNOX VOWED THAT THE CAUSE FOR WHICH HE HAD DIED WOULD NOT DIE WITH HIM. AS A RESULT, GOD TOOK JOHN KNOX AND SHOOK THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF SCOTLAND WITH THE GOSPEL. ALL BECAUSE HE HAD WITNESSED THE TESTIMONY OF A REAL CHRISTIAN.

10. THE MATTER BEFORE US TONIGHT IS NOT JUST A FAITHFULNESS TO CHURCH, BUT A FAITHFULNESS TO CHRIST. NOT ONLY BEING FAITHFUL TO HIM ON SUNDAY, BUT ALSO BEING FAITHFUL TO HIM ON MONDAY. BEING FAITHFUL AT THE CHURCH HOUSE AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL HOUSE.

11. ENOCH WAS SUCH A ONE. HE WAS A MAN THAT PERSONIFIED FAITHFULNESS. HE BROUGHT A MESSAGE THAT PROCLAIMED FAITHFULNESS, AND HE HAD A MINISTRY THAT PRODUCED FAITHFULNESS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I SAY TONIGHT, THAT IS, "THE KIND OF CHRISTIAN I WANT TO BE!"

1. KNIGHT'S MASTER BOOK OF NEW ILLUSTRATIONS, WALTER B. KNIGHT, PG. 194.

2. THE FINISHING TOUCH, CHARLES SWINDOLL, PG. 38.

3. THE TALE OF THE TARDY OXCART, CHARLES SWINDOLL, PG. 319.

4. "CHOICE PICKINGS," R. G. LEE, PG. 104.

5. PROPOKE, BAKER BOOK HOUSE, OCTOBER 1998, PG. 2.

6. IBID, SWINDOLL, TALE, PG. 181.