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Judah opens his short, urgent and intense letter by introducing himself: he is a slave of Messiah Yeshua and a brother of James.

He writes to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves them and keeps them safe in the care of Messiah Yeshua.

He prays for them, that God would give them more and more mercy, peace and love.

He calls the Lord’s people to defend the faith against false teachers who have infiltrated Messiah’s communities ‑ men who twisted God’s grace into permission to sin instead of receiving it as the power to be freed from sin.

He warns that these teachers would be judged just like the unbelieving generation in the wilderness, the rebellious angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns.

He tells us about things that characterize them, which enables us to recognize them. They claim authority from their dreams, live immoral lives, defy authority, scoff at supernatural beings, and are like unthinking animals who bring about their own destruction.

Judgment will come to them like it did to Cain, Balaam and Korah – whose sins they repeat.

He gives us seven vivid illustrations so we can see the danger even more clearly.

He lets us know that their judgment was predicted long ago, by Enoch, who was only seven generations from Adam.

Now he gives us more characteristics of false teachers that enable us to identify them. These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

They are grumblers and complainers. Just as the generation that left Egypt grumbled and complained against God’s leadership – against Moses, against God’s provision of manna, and ultimately against God Himself – the false teachers do the same things. They are dissatisfied with the teaching of God’s Word and with the God-appointed leaders in Messiah’s community.

They live only to satisfy their desires. Their desires for sex, money, power, status – drive everything else. Their teaching and relationships are not shaped by truth or divine revelation, but by whatever justifies what they want to do.

They brag loudly about themselves. They are self-promoters. They claim extraordinary spiritual experiences, superior revelation, and unique insight. But the person who genuinely walks with God is humble – deeply aware of how great God is and how small he is.

They flatter others to get what they want. They are skilled manipulators who know how to make people feel special, chosen, understood. But it’s not genuine. The flattery is designed to create loyalty and dependency – so they can extract what they are really after: sex, money and influence. A true leader gives to his flock. These false teachers take from the people while convincing them it is a privilege to give to them.

Having drawn from the Tenach and his own Spirit‑given wisdom to warn us about the danger of the false teachers, Judah now turns to the authority of the Lord’s special representatives, appealing to the authority of the apostles and the reliability of their message. But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Messiah Yeshua predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

Judah wants us to remember that the apostles warned us that in the last days there would be scoffers. When Judah refers to “the last times,” he is not pointing to some distant future period. He is referring to the age that began with the coming of Messiah and continues until His return. The New Testament consistently teaches that the last days began with Messiah’s first arrival.

Judah’s point is that the scoffers the apostles warned about were not merely a future danger. They were already present among God’s people. Their appearance should not have surprised anyone because the apostles had foretold that such men would arise. The presence of false teachers does not prove that God’s plan has failed; it proves that God’s Word is true and He is in control of all things.

The false teachers are scoffers. They reject the authority of God, the Word of God and faithful spiritual leaders because they do not want to be accountable. They don’t want anyone telling them “no.” By mocking the authority of God, the Word of God and faithful spiritual leaders, they are able to justify their ungodly desires – sexual immorality, greed, the pursuit of power, wealth and recognition.

These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. False teachers don’t become part of our communities by presenting themselves as those who are going to create divisions. They present themselves as those with new insight and deeper spirituality. But Judah sees through their presentation to the reality: they create divisions because their teaching cann’t be accepted into a community built on the foundation of the One who is the Truth.

They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. Earlier, Judah described these false teachers as irrational animals driven by instinct. Though they claimed higher knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, they were controlled by appetite, impulse, emotion. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have the Spirit of God within them. A person without the Holy Spirit is left to the control of his fallen nature – and like animals driven by instinct, they follow whatever desires are within them: lust, greed, pride, power, and self‑promotion.

Such people may appear religious, moral and spiritually knowledgeable, but inwardly they are slaves to their old, fallen, rebellious nature. They don’t produce the fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of their old, fallen, sinful, rebellious nature. The Holy Spirit is the source of new birth, the producer of right desires and godly character. Without Him, there is no spiritual life, no real connection to God, and nothing restraining the sinful nature from remaining in control.

These teachers are not merely in error – they are spiritually dead. They talk about God and spiritual things without having the Spirit of God living in them. We must recognize them for who they really are – not spiritually beneficial but spiritually dangerous, not spiritual blessings but spiritual curses.

Judah has warned us about the false teachers and what they are like and how they operate and the reasons why they do the bad things they do. Now he tells us about some of the positive things that we need to be doing. Doing the right things will protect us from the influence of the false teachers. But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

You must build each other up in your most holy faith. There are many faiths. But our faith is the most holy faith because it is the most special, the most set apart faith that alone will accomplish the most holy purposes of the Most Holy God who is kadosh, kadosh kadosh – holy, holy holy – infinitely holy. It alone enables human beings to live in the new Jerusalem – a place in which nothing unholy can exist. Therefore, we do not treat our most holy faith as something common or ordinary. We don’t treat it like any other faith or religious system or worldview. We do not mix it with anything impure or corrupt. We know it, we protect it, we keep it holy, we live it, and we build each other up in it.

You must build each other up in your most holy faith. We do not build ourselves up in our most holy faith alone. We build each other up in our most holy faith. To do that, we must be part of a community, building up our brothers and sisters as we are built up by them.

Think about what it took to build the Temple in Jerusalem. No one person could have accomplished that task alone. It took those who gathered materials from near and far. It took planners, overseers, and supervisors. It took stonecutters to cut the stones. It took woodcutters and carpenters to harvest and shape the cedar and cypress trees. It took craftsmen skilled in gold, silver, bronze and iron. It took engravers and carvers who fashioned intricate designs. It took weavers and embroiderers who prepared the fabrics used in the service of the Temple. It took carriers, laborers, and countless helpers who performed necessary tasks that often went unnoticed. Some of these workers were highly skilled artisans. Others performed ordinary but essential labor. Some worked in visible roles. Others labored behind the scenes. Yet every contribution mattered. The Temple was built because many people with different abilities worked together toward a common purpose.

Just as many workers joined together to build the Temple, God uses many different believers working together to build His spiritual temple today. God has not called us to grow in isolation. He has placed us in a community where each one does something to strengthen the faith of others. Some teach. Some encourage. Some lead. Some serve. Some give. Some pray. Some show hospitality. Some disciple younger believers. Some quietly support others in ways that few ever see. Every gift is important, and every act of service contributes to the spiritual growth of God’s people. When we encourage one another, pray for one another, teach one another, bear one another’s burdens, and serve one another in love, we are building each other up in our most holy faith.

False teachers divide, deceive, and weaken God’s people. They pull people away from the truth and from Messiah’s community. As we remain faithful to the truth, connected to one another, and committed to using our gifts for the good of the body, we help build a strong and healthy community that can withstand error and remain faithful.

Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Not all prayer is the same. There is prayer that originates from our own thoughts and desires. There is prayer that is shallow, routine, and lifeless, prayer that worldly and materialistic. But then there is prayer that is guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit. To pray in the power of the Holy Spirit means to pray in alignment with God’s will and purposes. It means to pray according to the truth.

What does prayer in the power of the Spirit look like? It looks Paul’s prayers that are found throughout his letters. In them he prays for the salvation of the lost – especially for the salvation of the Jewish people: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” He prays for the spread of the gospel throughout the world, that God would raise up laborers for the harvest, open doors for the proclamation of the message, and grant believers courage to proclaim Messiah boldly, clearly, faithfully. He prays for the strengthening of Messiah’s community, a deeper knowledge of God, spiritual wisdom and discernment, understanding of God’s will, holiness, righteousness, purity, increasing love and unity among believers, protection from false teaching and error, greater spiritual fruitfulness, understanding of God’s power and promises, endurance in trials, and fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Through all of these prayers, Paul teaches us that prayer is not primarily about persuading God to endorse our plans. Rather, it is about aligning ourselves with His purposes and asking Him to accomplish His will in and through His people. Such prayers are pleasing to God because they flow from the heart of God and are empowered by the Spirit of God.

Await the mercy of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, who will bring you eternal life. Await means active, watchful expectation, eager anticipation.

Await the mercy of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, who will bring you eternal life. Grace is receiving something good we don’t deserve. Mercy is not receiving the punishment we do deserve. And mercy also includes compassion for those who are suffering.

Could any of us stand before God for a single day without His mercy? We fail constantly-in thought, word, and deed. Apart from His mercy we would not survive a single day before a holy God, let alone receive eternal life. No, it’s the mercy of Messiah Yeshua that brings us eternal life. Eternal life is not based on our performance, our record, or our spiritual accomplishments. It is a gift that only Messiah can give – a gift that comes entirely from His mercy.

We do not look to this world for fulfillment, security, or lasting satisfaction. This world is passing away. Its promises are empty, its pleasures are temporary. Instead, we wait for Yeshua – actively, watchfully, and expectantly. We build our lives around His promises rather than the world’s attractions. We live each day in anticipation of His return, knowing that our true treasure, our lasting joy, and eternal life are found in Him alone.

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. When we build each other up in our most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Messiah Yeshua – we keep ourselves safe in God’s love.

God does His part by loving us – but we must do our part to keep ourselves safe in that love.

Imagine a father who has two sons. He loves both of them deeply, and that love does not waver, does not diminish, and does not depend on what either son does. But one son stays close to his father. He is attentive, obedient, faithful – he knows his father’s heart, walks in his father’s ways, and remains near to him. The other son is careless and self‑absorbed. He is not committed to doing what his father wants. He goes his own way, follows his own desires, and puts distance between himself and his father – not because the father pushed him away, but because he chose to wander.

The father’s love for both sons is the same. But which son will hear his father’s warning when danger is near? Which son will receive his father’s counsel before he makes a foolish decision? Which son will be caught before he falls, corrected before he strays too far, and find a place of safety before the storm hits?

The son who remains close. God’s love for us is constant. But we can position ourselves close to it or far from it. God’s love does not change – but our experience of its protection, its guidance, and its keeping power depends entirely on whether we stay close.

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for warning us about false teachers and for giving us Your truth through the apostles. Guard us from deception, division, pride, and selfish desires. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may pray according to Your will and walk in obedience to Your Word. Help us to build one another up in our most holy faith, using our gifts to strengthen and encourage Your people. Keep us close to You, safe in Your love, and steadfast in the truth. As we await the return of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, may we live with confidence in His mercy, knowing that by His grace He will bring us into eternal life. Amen.