Kept for Christ: The Danger Within

 

Have you ever followed someone you trusted—only to realize too late they led you in the wrong direction?

Imagine you’re on a hike in a dense forest. The path is narrow, and you’re following a trusted guide who knows the way to safety. But then someone else steps in, speaking confidently, using familiar trail markers, and promising an easier path. You follow—only to end up stuck in a swamp, disoriented and in danger.

This is the danger Jude warns us about: false teachers who sound convincing but lead people away from the truth of Jesus.

Last week, we began our series in the book of Jude, exploring how we are called, loved, and kept by God—and how we’re charged with defending the faith against those who distort it (Jude 1:1–4). This week, we dig deeper into who those false teachers are, what they look like, and how we can guard against them. Jude 1:5–16 is a sobering reminder: the greatest threat to the Gospel often comes from within the church, not from outside it.


Jude’s Urgent Warning

Jude, the servant of King Jesus and brother of James, writes with urgency. False teachers have slipped into the church—quietly, dangerously—and their influence is spreading. In these verses, Jude uses vivid illustrations from Israel’s history, angelic rebellion, and even natural imagery to expose their character and highlight the judgment they face.

Let’s walk through the text in three movements: Pattern of Judgment, Character Exposed, and Hidden Dangers.

1. A Pattern of Judgment (Jude 1:5–7)

Jude begins by reminding readers of stories they already know:

• Israel—freed from Egypt, yet judged for unbelief and rebellion.
• Angels—who abandoned their roles and were cast into darkness.
• Sodom and Gomorrah—destroyed for their immorality and rejection of God’s order.

Each example serves as a warning: God takes rebellion seriously. And just like in these historical events, the false teachers in the church are inviting the same fate—for themselves and for those who follow them.

These aren’t harmless misunderstandings. Jude is clear: false teaching leads to destruction.

2. Character Exposed (Jude 1:8–11)

Next, Jude unmasks the character of these deceptive leaders. They:

• Rely on dreams and visions rather than God’s Word.
• Reject spiritual authority—even the angels who delivered God’s law.
• Defile the body—pursuing desires over holiness.

Jude contrasts their arrogance with the humility of Michael the Archangel. Even when disputing with Satan, Michael doesn’t take matters into his own hands—he appeals to God’s authority. False teachers, by contrast, act on impulse, rejecting all accountability.

Jude groups these deceivers with three infamous figures from Scripture:

• Cain—who allowed jealousy and anger to consume him.
• Balaam—who used spiritual influence for personal gain.
• Korah—who rejected God’s appointed leaders and led others into rebellion.

Each of these men caused division and destruction. Jude says: the false teachers are just like them.

3. Hidden Dangers (Jude 1:12–13)

Here Jude shifts to powerful metaphors to show just how dangerous these people are:

• Hidden reefs—they look safe but can destroy the ship.
• Waterless clouds—they promise nourishment but deliver nothing.
• Fruitless trees—they may look alive but are twice dead.
• Wild waves—chaotic, destructive, full of shame.
• Wandering stars—guideless and doomed.

These individuals were even present at the early church’s love feasts—fellowship meals tied to communion. They blended in. That’s the danger. They’re not outside critics—they’re insiders. And their selfishness, false promises, and spiritual manipulation wreak havoc on the faith of others.

4. Their Judgment is Certain (Jude 1:14–16)

Jude closes this section by quoting Enoch, who prophesied judgment against the ungodly. These people don’t just err—they actively oppose God. They:

• Stir discontent.
• Chase their own desires.
• Use flattery to manipulate and control.

Their words may sound spiritual, but their lives reveal the truth. They are not pointing to Jesus—they are using Jesus’ name for their own gain.


How Do We Guard Against False Teaching?

This is a heavy passage, but it’s meant to wake us up—not frighten us. Jude gives us clear ways to stay vigilant:

1. Be Grounded in Scripture

Jude says, “I want to remind you…” This assumes they’ve been taught the truth before. But reminders only help if we’re familiar with the original.

Don’t just read the Bible—study it.

Equip yourself with a good study Bible and a trustworthy one-volume commentary. These tools help you interpret Scripture and discern truth from error.


2. Be Wary of Teachers Who Rely on Private Revelation

When someone constantly says, “God told me…” or bases teaching on dreams and visions, be cautious.

Scripture tells us that prophets should be evaluated (1 Corinthians 14:29) and to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Often, these claims can lead to spiritual manipulation or emotional abuse, especially when paired with authoritative language that bypasses accountability.

3. Watch How They Treat People

Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

False teachers may talk about love, but their lives tell another story.

Watch for patterns of pride, control, abuse, or manipulation. If their ministry leaves people shipwrecked, wounded, or confused—don’t ignore that. Truth and love always go together.

Final Thoughts: Be Alert. Be Rooted. Be Ready.

The most dangerous teaching isn’t the loudest or most outrageous—it’s the one that quietly replaces Christ with something else, all while quoting Scripture and sounding spiritual. That’s the danger within.

Jude reminds us: God will judge those who distort His truth. But we are not left defenseless.

We have the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, and one another.

So ask yourself:

• Am I grounded enough in God’s Word to recognize error?
• Am I choosing teachers who faithfully handle Scripture?
• Do I see the Gospel shaping their lives—not just their words?

Big Idea: We must take seriously the danger false teachers pose to our faith.

Not all teaching is good teaching. And if we’re not careful, we can be led away from Jesus—even by those who speak in His name.

A Challenge for the Week: Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth.

This task is too big for us to handle on our own. False teachers don’t wear name tags—and their teachings can be hard to detect. But Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would help us remember His words and discern what is true (John 14:26).

So this week, as you read and reflect on Scripture, invite the Holy Spirit to guide you.Ask for wisdom. Ask for discernment. Ask to be shaped by the truth.

Closing Thought:

The greatest threat to the Gospel isn’t out there in the world—it’s when the truth is twisted within the Church.

Let’s be a people who contend for the faith—with grace-filled hearts, eyes fixed on Jesus, and lives that reflect the truth we proclaim.

Stay rooted. Stay alert. Stay faithful.

And above all, stay close to King Jesus.

Take Time To Study

Christians are people of the Book. By that I mean Christians are guided, first and foremost, by the Bible. We believe that the Bible contains the wisdom and truth God wants His people to know. 

This is why many Christians have a goal of reading through the Bible each year. The commitment to read the Bible the reveals their desire to be more familiar with the Book that is to guide their lives. 

The problem that many of us face, me included, is that there are parts of the Bible which are difficult to read. So if you expect to come away with a little nugget of truth from your reading each day, you might be disappointed. It is hard to understand how parts of the Bible apply to our lives.

Not only is there the difficulty in understanding the Bible, but there is also the reality of how our memory works. We simply do not remember what we read which means there isn’t much transformation happening in our hearts and minds.

In Romans the apostle Paul wrote:

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. — Romans 12:2 (CSB)

To keep from being conformed in the image of the world we need to be intentional about being transformed into the image of Jesus. This starts with the renewal of our minds. To be transformed we  need to give our minds the proper material to dwell on. While reading is the foundation of getting God’s truth into our minds, I think many of us need to take the next step and create a system of Bible Study that fits our lives and personalities.

I know there are different study systems available, but I have found many of them too complicated and time intensive to consistently do.  Over the years this discouraged to me as I have tried to study the Bible. 

I want to share with you what I do to study the Bible and get God’s Word into my heart and mind.

First, get a Bible translation that is easy to read. Don’t get hung up on “what is the best Bible translation?” All the main translations had a team of scholars working on them to create the most accurate translation as possible. Remember, get a translation and not a paraphrase like the Message or the Living Bible. While paraphrases have a place, they are usually the work of one person trying to smooth out the English translation. For ease of reading I would recommend the New Living Translation (which is what I preach from) or the Christian Standard Bible (which has become my go to Bible translation in 2022).

Second, get a good Study Bible. Until this past year I have never had a Study Bible, but now I own several on my Olive Tree Bible Software, and I have discovered that they are super helpful in my sermon preparation each week. Now there are a number of speciality Study Bibles out there that I have found not near as helpful, they have good articles and highlights in them, they lack the commentary notes that are useful. The Study Bibles I have found useful this year are the CSB Study Bible, the NIV Study Bible, the ESV Global Study Bible, and the NIV Bible Background Study Bible.

Another option would be to invest in Olive Tree Bible Software. While the the App is free and there are some free resources to go with it, to get the most out of it you need to purchase resources like study bibles and commentaries. To give it a try you can sing up for a study pack (there are NIV, ESV, and NKJV study packs available for $60 a year). Learning how to use Olive Tree this last year has transformed my study time.

Third, get a notebook or journal that you will use exclusively for Bible Study. You can use this journal for your regular personal study as well as taking notes from the sermons and classes you listen to. I use the note feature in the Olive Tree Bible Software. Writing things down helps you to remember them and it gives you a place to refer back to if you desire.

Fourth, adopt a Bible Study Method. This is what held me back for years, I couldn’t find one that I could understand, that fit the rhythm of my life, and that could be done an a regular basis. A few years ago I decided to develop my own method. I call it the STOP Bible Study Method and it is the way I start out my sermon study each week. It is also what I use to work through books of the Bible on my own.  STOP stands for Summarize, Truth, Observations, and Prayer. What you do is at the top of the page write down the passage you are studying, I usually only do a paragraph or two at a time. Then read the passage. After reading the passage take a few minutes to summarize what you read (which usually requires rereading it a few times). After summarizing the passage, write down what you think the main point or truth of the passage is (this usually becomes my Big Idea for the sermon). Once you have the truth down, make some observations about the passage. These observations can be things that stood out to you, questions that you have, or other details that you found interesting. Finally, write out a prayer asking God to help you apply the passage, or at least the truth of it, to your life. 

Fifth, use the Study Bible to read the commentary notes on the passage to get a better understanding of what the text is about. Write down any ideas that you think are important to remember. This way you are not only relying on your own ideas and observations, but are also gaining the insights from scholars who have studied the passage.

Sixth, make a commitment to attend Sunday morning worship and other study times that your local church family offers. Individual study time is important, but study and discussion with a group is crucial. We benefit from the perspectives of other people in our pursuit of spiritual formation. 

Study is a crucial part of our spiritual formation. I encourage you to make space for study in your life.

Seek to Discover Jesus

Reading through the book of John it becomes evident that there were great disagreements about Jesus' identity.  This is even seen in the Pharisees. Here is a group that we generally talk about opposing Jesus, but the reality was that there was a disagreement about Jesus among them (John 9:16).

In John 10:19 we again see that people had a disagreement about Jesus: When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him (NLT). 

 

There was this disagreement, or division, because Jesus provided a paradox for them. 

On the one hand Jesus taught with great authority and insight. 

On the other hand Jesus did not obey the culture expectations of the day. He was not always a "good" Jew.

All these centuries later, people still have disagreements about who Jesus is. 

• Some want to classify him as a good teacher who was able to give profound spiritual insight. 
• Some may elevate him to the position of prophet, a man of God giving people a word from God. 
• Some label Jesus as a liar who led people astray. 
• Some call him a myth who never existed. 

People are still divided about who Jesus is.

Since I claim to follow Jesus, it is important that I understand who Jesus is to the best of my ability. 

Now, I admit, it is easy, even by looking at the biblical account, to create Jesus in my image. To make a Jesus I am comfortable with, who will support my agendas, and promote my worldview. 

 

Even within the Church there are many different ideas of who Jesus is, how he lived, and what he taught.

This means we need make an effort to discover who Jesus is. 

• We need understand the culture in which Jesus lived which provide much needed context to his teaching. 
• We need to seek to hear his teaching through the ears of his intended audience.
• We need to learn why see his miracles and ministry through these first century eyes.

 It is easier to engage the Gospels, as well as the whole of Scripture, at just the surface level, as we look for those eternal truths to apply to our lives. But, I have come to believe that we miss much of the truth God has for us by not digging deeper into the text. 

People will always be divided over who Jesus is, but that shouldn’t keep us from the responsibility of doing what we can to discover the Jesus of history. 

I believe that when we commit ourselves to such a study we will be blessed with the gift of getting to know who Jesus is and all that he has done for us.