1. Build yourselves up:  This means we need to be ready to go into battle.  The best way to recognize error is to know truth.  Banks prepare their tellers to recognize counterfeit money by studying real money.  If we expect to hold our own against false teachers we better know God’s Word.
2. Pray:  The real battle is spiritual.  We are going to need all the help we can get.
3. Stay connected:  The best way to stay in God’s love is to surround ourselves with believers.  There is strength in numbers.
4. Patience:  Sometimes the battle is very rough and it is easy to give up.  It can be very disheartening to see the devil win and souls lost.  But God will return one day and set everything straight.  We need to be patient and not give up.
5. Show mercy:  It is an easy thing to be led astray by false teachers.  Sometimes all it takes is a little guidance, and a lot of love to bring someone into the light.  Many people respond well by emphasizing the positive.
6. Snatch them from the fire:  Some are in so deep, that their clothes are on fire.  They need to be shaken up.  They need to see the danger, so they can turn around and flee.  Fear is the motivating factor.
7. Hate sin:  It is important that we keep focus during the battle, and never let our guard down.  We can be defeated as easily as those we seek to rescue.
8. Praise: There is healing, and strength, and encouragement in praise.  To God be the glory always and forever.

• Grumblers
• Fault Finders
• Boast
• Flatter
• Scoffers
• Dividers
• Followers of natural instincts

1. Blemishes at your love feasts: Early Christians would often gather together for fellowship over food.  These feasts could become very hypocritical by showing bias to the rich.  False teachers would capitalize on this situation by sowing discord.  The word “blemishes” in the Greek actually means “hidden reef” A hidden reef was very dangerous to sailors and symbolizes deceit.
2. Shepherds who feed themselves: A shepherd is expected to give priority to the safety and well being of the sheep.  But false teachers take advantage of their flock, and really only care for themselves.
3. Clouds without rain: It must be very frustrating to a farmer who needs rain for his crops to get all excited about the promise of rain from a dark cloud that just passes on by.  This is a good description of the emptiness and disappointment that comes from following false teachers.
4. Uprooted fruit trees: Again one would expect a fruit tree to yield tasty treats but an empty tree that is uprooted not only brings immediate disappointment but gives no hope of future fulfillment.
5. Wild waves: Waves are strong, but uncontrollable and destructive.  Their power is wasted and brings no real benefit.
6. Wandering stars: In the past sailors were able to find their way by using the unmoving positions of certain stars as a reference point. A wandering star is totally useless for this type of navigation.  A sailor who tried to use a wandering star would only end up lost.

• JEALOUSY:  Cain was so jealous of his brother that he ended up killing him.  Like Cain many cults and false teachers refuse to follow the truth, but they still desire attention and praise.  Often they will emphasize good works, or demand respect, or worship.
• GREED:  Baalam knew that Israel was God’s chosen people and He desired to bless them.  Still he really wished that he could curse them so he could receive huge sums of money from their enemy.  This same type of greed motivates false teachers to exploit their followers.
• REBELLION:  Korah rebelled against Moses caused he resented that God had put him in authority.  Many false teachers are motivated by nothing more than pure rebellion against the truth.

1. DESTRUCTION for unbelievers:  Not all of the Israelites who escaped from slavery in Egypt were true believers.  Many were faithless, rebellious complaining idolaters. They faced judgment through fire, plagues, and wandering in the desert.
2. IMPRISONMENT for disobedience:  God has imprisoned angels in everlasting darkness for their disobedience during the days of Noah.
3. ETERNAL FIRE for immorality:  Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone for the sin of homosexuality.

All of these judgments describe HELL itself.  That is the fate of false teachers and anyone who follows them.  This is a very stern warning from God.  This is serious business, and not to be taken lightly.

• Jesus Christ is God.  He is not an angel.  He is not just a great teacher.  He is not only a prophet.  HE IS GOD.
• Salvation is by faith not by works.  There is nothing we can do to earn salvation.  Jesus did it all.  He paid for our sins by dying on the cross, and he conquered death by rising on the third day.  We need only agree with Him, and accept Him as our Lord.

I.      The Test: Jude 1-4

II.    Their Fate: Jude 5-7

III.  Their Motives: Jude 8-11

IV.   Empty Promises: Jude 12-13

V.     Their Tactics: Jude 14-19

VI.    The Defense: Jude 20-25

Now I think of our children attending school. Their memories will be much different than mine are. One day they will look back on their school years and remember security guards and metal detectors. Gangs and drugs and obscenities are all too common. On this day, the first official day of school, we need to keep our young people in prayer.

When there is a need in our lives, we often pray.  The single person will pray for the man/woman of God’s chosing to come along and sweep them off their feet.  Those with financial difficulties will pray for relief and/or a job.  Those with physical needs will pray for healing.  We pray fervently and with great faith–for a while, that is.  But when the answer doesn’t come right away, we get discouraged.  We start to think, perhaps, that God doesn’t hear or doesn’t care.  But God’s timing is different than ours

The story is told about a man with a financial need who had the following conversation with God:

“Lord, is it true that a thousand years for us is just like a minute to you?”
“Yes”
“Then a million dollars to us must just be a penny to you.?
“Yes”
“Lord, would you give me one of those pennies?”
“All right.  Wait here a minute.”

Whether you are praying for a larger church building (as we are), or a house (as my family is), or a Christian wife/husband (as some of you are), or a certain job (as some of you are), it is not enough just to pray.  We have to pray and be willing to wait for God’s precise answer.  Too often we panic and take the matter back into our hands.  We then end up with the wrong church building, the wrong house, the wrong spouse, or the wrong job!  I believe that often God wants to teach us as much or more through our waiting as he does through answering our prayers.

“In the movie Chariots of Fire, British runner Harold Abrams runs against the Scottish champion Eric Liddell and loses for the first time in his life.  The pain of failure is so great he decides he cannot race again.
His girlfriend, Cybil, says, ‘Harold, this is absolutely ridiculous.  It’s a race you’ve lost, not a relative.  Nobody’s dead.’
Harold moans, ‘I’ve lost.’
‘I know.  I was there.  I remember watching you; it was marvelous.  You were marvelous.  He was more marvelous, that’s all.  On that day the best man won. . . . He was ahead, there was nothing you could have done.  He won fair and square.’
‘Well, that’s that,’ Abrams says.
‘If you can’t take a beating, perhaps it’s for the best.’
‘ I don’t run to take beatings—I run to win!’  Harold shouts.  ”If I can’t win, I won’t run.’
Cybil pauses, and then says to him firmly, ‘If you don’t run, you can’t win.’

On Sunday morning I encouraged you to be a light in your world.  I urged you to be a true friend to those who don’t know Christ.  I said to deliberatly be friends with people who don’t know the Lord.  Then, wait for your moment and share your testimony.

Some of you are putting this into practice.  Others, perhaps, have already failed.  Maybe you lost your testimony on your job.  Perhaps you had a perfect opportunity to share your testimony, and you chickened out.  So you throw up your hands and say, “I quit!  Trying to be a Christian who has an impact is just too hard!”

This is no time to quit.  The stakes are too high.  If you marred your testimony, try to correct that.  If you chickened out of sharing your testimony, resolve not to chicken out the next time. It is not time to get out of the race.  Remember, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.”
Have a great week in the Lord.  I am praying for you!