08/06/2026
๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐พ๐,
From across the miles to the seashores of sunny California and its dry terrain, I greet all of you with love, faith, and hope that each and every one is in good health and still with the Lord Almighty in every way you are today.
Today, I am going to talk about the uncompromising truth of Christ: Upholding the Truth.
In a world of confusion and deception, how do we discern truth from half-truth or falsehood?
The greatest threat to Christianity has never come from outside forces such as persecution, atheism, godless culture and traditions, or other opposing religions. The greatest threats to the church come from those who claim to be Christians, who are leaders in the church, but whose teachings and doctrines are at topsy-turvy with God's Word.
We live in an age of confusion and deception. Fake news and AI-generated slop have overwhelmed what were once considered reliable sources of information. Our contemporary enemies are often hidden in plain sight and plain clothing. They do not wear military uniforms or use modern-day weapons. They do their best to blend in with the crowd, dressing like any other ordinary people off to daily work or out for a stroll.
If you look at the hijackers of the 9/11 event in America, they looked like any passengers waiting to board their flights, and yet their mission was deadly. In much the same way, there are spiritual hijackers in the church today who look like everyone else. They come with their Bibles; some even stand behind the pulpit on Sunday service.
Jesus warned us of false teachers who "come in sheep's clothing but are ferocious wolves" (Matt. 7:15). They may speak like fellow believers, yet they are more dangerous than those who openly oppose Christianity because they draw people away from the true Gospel.
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, calls us to wake up and be vigilant about our faith. If we shy away from contending for the true Gospel, these phonies will spiritually hijack the truth, leading souls to hell and neutralizing the authority of Scripture in people's lives.
How do you recognize the apostates and deceivers in our midst?
Jude tells us exactly how these apostates blend into the church body today, to help us recognize them so that we do not confuse those truly seeking God with those who are counterfeits. St. Jude does this by connecting these clues to the stories found in the Old Testament:
1. ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ'๐จ ๐๐๐ฎ (๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ 11) (๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐จ
Brothers Cain and Abel both made offerings to God. Cain gave his leftover crops as an offering to God. He knew that forgiveness can be obtained only from the shedding of bloodโthe truth pointing to the Cross of Christ.
Abel brought a sacrifice from his flock, the first and the best, unblemished among his flock. God accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's offering, just like the false teachers pointing to the wrong, compromised teachings.
2. ๐๐๐ค-๐ฟ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฟ๐ค๐ค๐ข๐๐
The rebellion of Korah, a Levite and Moses' cousin, sought to replace Moses as the leader of Israel. Driven by ego rather than to serve the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed Korah and his family, and all those who rebelled.
3. ๐พ๐๐ค๐ค๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ช๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐
Example: Balaam, who agreed to curse the people of Israel in exchange for money. But he knew that it was useless to go against the people that God had blessed. Money was so enticing to Balaam that he decided to try anyway he could.
The Lord did not allow it, and Balaam failed. To this day, there are those who follow their carnal desires and wrong monetary stewardship, and refuse to submit to the truth of God's Word.
The Book of Jude (1:8โ11) gives us these examples to show us the independence and rebellious attitudes of apostates and false teachers who dream of salvation without the Cross of Christ and peace without repentance.
They preach happiness without holiness and unity without Jesus. They reject the infallibility of the Bible as the Word of God, refusing to submit to its teachings about hell and heaven. They neglect to teach Satan's goal and missionโto divert the attention of God's people from worshiping the one true God.
No wonder so many people fail to see the false teachers in their midst.
But God assures our victory under the cover of Christ Jesus, as He equipped us to recognize false teachings and push back against deception for the glory of His name.
When you trust Jesus, you will never fear the final judgment (Jude 1:12โ16).
Amen.
IN HIS SERVICE,
๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ผ ๐พ. ๐๐พ๐ผ๐๐๐
