At the beginning of WWII, King Edward of England was forced to abdicate the throne. The public reason being his refusal to give up the love of his life (she was not queenly material). There was a greater reason Edward could not remain on the throne. England was fighting for its existence as a free country. However, Edward greatly admired Hitler and made visits to Nazi Germany. Like the false teachers in Jude, Edward “found fault, followed after his own lusts, and always spoke arrogantly.” If he had remained on the throne, the outcome of England from WWII would have been disastrous. Edward was tethered to Hitler.
GRUMBLING FALSE TEACHERS
Jude addresses influential false teachers who are dangerous. Described as “grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage” (Jude 1:16). Charles Spurgeon observed: “Nothing ever satisfies them. They are discontented even with the gospel. The bread of heaven must be cut into three pieces, and served on dainty napkins, or else they cannot eat it; and very soon their soul hates even this light bread. They pick holes in every preacher’s coat; and if the great High Priest himself were here, they would find fault with the color of the stones of his breastplate.” These teachers are not tethered to Christ.
GOD’S GAME PLAN
What does a believer do when in danger of being influenced by such influencers? God provides a game plan. We are not to get lost in the craziness. God promises to take care of the situation. Stay tethered to God.
HOW TO PRAY
I once had pneumonia. The only way I could breathe was by sitting up, which is terrifying. My life depended on following the doctor’s instructions implicitly. Our spiritual lives depend on implicitly following the mandates in Jude 1:17-25. The first instruction is prayer. Don’t say, “I don’t know how to pray.” God already gives an answer for that excuse. “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:26). If you are willing, the Holy Spirit will come alongside of you before the Throne of God. That composes a portion of the beautiful picture of being tethered to God.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE LED ASTRAY
But what are we to do about those influenced by those wolves, the false teachers? By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can know when we should comfort and when we should rebuke. Never are we commanded to hate them or to be unconcerned for their salvation. The key is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and our own vulnerability to be led astray. We can choose Who we are tethered to.
CONNECTED TO GOD
David Guzik writes: “In mountain climbing, the beginning hiker attaches himself to the expert so that if he loses his footing he won’t stumble and fall to his death. In the same manner, if we keep connected with God, we cannot fall. He keeps us safe.” Tightly tethered to God means rigorously continuing to pray, vigorously reading and meditating on His Word, and choosing obedience to God, regardless of the consequences.
FINDING SOLACE AND PEACE
A tethered person finds solace and peace in Jude’s doxology: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Remain tethered to God!
For further inspiration, listen to the testimony of Megan Donahue
