Avoid Toxic People Don’t Be Like Them

Jude 1:16
These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Apostle Jude writes this letter to the church. He spends a major section of this letter describing ungodly people who are in the church and are corrupting the church and other church members. They are in the church but they do not support the church, they instead have a parallel movement within the church. They are in the church but they hate the church leadership and disrespect them. They are in the church but they conduct themselves as more knowledgeable, better spiritually, and isolate themselves from others. Jude warns the church against such people. They are toxic people and should be avoided at all costs!

Jude is so concerned that these people might mislead the church by false teachings and their opposition activities. Jude spends a significant part of his letter warning against people within the church but are secretly opposed to the church and are championing their own agenda. Every church needs to look within itself. Some people who seem very spiritual and very committed could be actually pursuing their own agenda that is opposed to the church. They form their own groups within the church. Their own Bible study groups. Their own prayer groups. Their own social media groups. Then they invite members of the church selectively as they brainwash them and make them their disciples. Jude warns all of us against such persons. They are toxic people, avoid them at all costs!

Toxic people poison others and the environment. Toxic people major on the negative. Toxic people leave people with doubt, tension, and ill feelings. Toxic people hurt. Toxic people kill the morale of everyone to do anything. A church with great potential but struggling for unknown reasons could be having toxic people within it. A toxic worker will turn other workers against the organization. A toxic person leaves a place worse than they found it. A toxic person should be avoided as a friend, a toxic person should be avoided in church, at the workplace, and even as a spouse in marriage. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Jude in our text today gives characteristics of a toxic person. Anyone with such characteristics should immediately be helped or be avoided if they can’t be helped. Many are difficult to be helped but attempts should be made before giving up. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Toxic people are ever complaining they are grumblers. They are never happy. They always seem unhappy about something. Grumbling is expressing a complaint in a bad way. While we are free to complain, how we express it is critical. How do you say what you don’t like in church, in your group, in your club, in your family, etc.? Grumbling is complaining in a bad way. A bad way could be abusive. A bad way could be leaving no room for discussion. A bad way could be making the situation hopeless. Grumbling is complaining and refusing to be given a solution. Grumbling people derive pleasure in negativity. They are toxic. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Toxic people are faultfinders. They specialize in finding mistakes and recording mistakes. They only report something that went wrong. They only record what will hurt others. They never praise. Fault finding makes one look better than others yet they are not. Faultfinders can only list people’s mistakes. Faultfinders strangely know all the secret negative details but will be completely blind to the open public good that has been done. Faultfinders go quiet when all is well but get loud and hyperactive when something goes wrong. They seem courageous and bold and even uncompromising, but they are just faultfinders, that’s all. They are toxic. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Toxic people pursue their own desires. Their own desires could be deriving satisfaction from the pain and problems they bring to the church and others. Their own desires could be spreading false teachings. Their own desires could be getting attention. Their own desires could be starting a parallel organization. Their own desires could be getting income from those who sponsor them. Toxic people are driven by a hidden agenda. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Toxic people flatter others for their own advantage. To flatter is to give dishonest commendation. To flatter is to falsely praise. To flatter is to show admiration when you do not admire. To flatter is to praise a person yet in reality you look down upon them. To flatter is to look supportive when you are not. To flatter is to show immense respect when you have none. To flatter is to behave like a team member when you are the chief opposer. The Bible says, toxic people only flatter for their own advantage. Every flatter is followed by a request asking for a favor. If they had no favor to ask they would not flatter. These are toxic people. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

Toxic students exist in every school. Toxic people are in churches. Toxic people are in the neighborhood. Toxic people are in organizations. Toxic people never miss meetings. Toxic people are among potentially attractive future marriage partners. Toxic people are the heartache in marriages that have irreconcilable differences. Toxic people are the headache of every large family gathering. Toxic people ruin weddings and funerals by their conduct and speeches. Toxic people kill morale in the workplace. Toxic people are in social media groups. Toxic contribute to any and every discussion. Toxic people are everywhere. Avoid toxic people don’t be like them!

God of heaven, help me. Save me from being a toxic person. Save me from toxic people. Make me immune to toxic environments, in Jesus’ name, Amen!