Pastor Wrinkles: Hey Jude Pt. 11

“And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.” Jude 1:7 NLT

 

Jude is in the middle of describing a group of people who have secretly slipped into the church of his day. He begins describing them using three different examples: The first example points to the “secret- slipper-inner’s” unbelief; The second points to their rebellious hearts; The third example he uses in verse seven points to their sexual immorality.

I recently watched a documentary on the historicity of Sodom and Gomorrah. The director chose to interview a theologian from my home state in the U.S. who declared that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not actually homosexuality or even sexual in nature at all. In fact according to the “good prof” Sodom and Gomorrah came under the judgement of God for the sin of being inhospitable. I guess she never read Jude verse 7!

The sad fact today is that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah could just as easily be renamed the story of San Francisco and Georgia. The whole issue of homosexuality pushed aside for a moment our society is rife with promiscuity of every sort. I perceive that there is hardly a man or woman in America, Christian or not, who isn’t touched by the oversexed atmosphere in some way. As I have contemplated this post I have become quite sure that the founders of all our denominations would be shocked at what we say is appropriate behavior. Pick John Wesley or Knox, Spurgeon or Moody out of their time and put them in our living rooms for a night and see what their reaction to our TV shows and rock music is.

I am convicted of some things even as I write. There is tightening up to do. What do my eyes regard? What do my ears itch for? What must I repent of in order to assure that my name is not written among the secret- slipper-inners.

What about you?

I have some praying to do!